Lucky Star II : Return of the Heroes
by Chanith
Summary: Konata wished for her life to be more thrilling. Like a video game, for example. But one always has to be careful when one makes a wish... Adventure parody spiced with a tinge of Konami.
1. Introduction

A big, a huge "thank you" to **ASCOEUR** who is helping me to translate this story. Maybe you'll recognize his touch here and there if you've already read his fanfics ^^. The original was written in french and you can find it on my profile.

* * *

**A Thoughtless Wish.**

"Nnnngg..."

Konata suddenly woke up, still sitting at her desk. The small otaku shot a glance at her alarm clock ; it was barely midnight ! She couldn't possibly go to bed this early. She rose from her seat and rubbed her sleepy eyes. At the moment, she was terribly in need of an hour of gaming before going to bed. Or maybe two. Or three, while she's at it.

But first...

"Thirrrs... thirsty…"

Konata took hold of the glass that was resting on her desk in order to run to the restroom and fill it up. With half-opened eyes, she returned to her bedroom, dragging her feet. Mathematics' effects on her body were really disastrous. Even five hours of playing online weren't as exhausting. At least then, you could have fun.

As tired as she was, Konata failed to notice the contents of her schoolbag, and her right foot tripped over a book. She moved, hoping to avoid the fall, but her left foot landed on a notebook and slipped. She tripped and dropped her glass, which then subsequently shattered.

"My Playstation!" the girl shrieked, her eyes suddenly wide open. The water had spilled all over her gaming device.

Konata crawled on all fours to her precious game console. She quickly picked each broken piece of glass and began to dry her Playstation with her sleeve, almost with motherly care. After cleaning up her mess and being sure of not having forgotten to re-connect her Playstation, she was determined to switch it on, her fingers shaking a bit.

"Let it work... please... let it work...," she mumbled like a litany.

Dzzziiiing. A spark. Konata's heart missed a few beatings. She closed her eyes deftly, and then reopened them, only to find that a small, shiny creature was sitting on her Playstation.

"Yo Konata!" The creature shouted out with informal familiarity.

"... Huh?"

"I must say, I was really touched by the love you have for your Playstation, and the care you treat it with."

"Yeah, but.... what the heck _are _you?"

Sitting on her knees, arms crossed and the head slighty leaned on the side, Konata wondered whether the abuse of mangas and video games had brutally just gotten the better of her mental health.

"What do you think?! Obviously, I'm the spirit of the game console, blockhead! And to reward you for your devotion to me, I want to grant you the wish of your choice," the creature explained.

"Hmm, let me think about it ...," The otaku murmured, narrowing her eyes.

She brought a pensive hand to her lips. She had encountered this situation in games many times before and knew all too well the dangers a "genie" brought to its "fortunate" recipient. Wording a wish should always be done with extreme caution to avoid ambiguity or side-effects, along with...

"Come on, hurry up! That's cheating if you're thinking too long to make a wish! You'll come up with something retarded such as _having an endless number of wishes_!" The spirit grew impatient, stamping its tiny foot.

"Ok, ok, got it!" Konata exclaimed. "I wish--"

Retaining the suspense, the girl leaned towards the creature, taking a deep breath before she revealed she wanted...

"--real life was as fun as a video game!"

A wide smirk was plastered upon the spirit's face.

"I'm proud of you, my faithful worshipper! You couldn't have chosen a better wish in my line of work! I promise you won't be disappointed!"

The creature waved an arm before Konata, showering her with sparkling, glittering dust that twinkled its way down to the bottom before vanishing.

"Go to bed now, you're tired and you will need your strength," it commanded. "I, too, need to retire, for there are some preparations that must be taken care of before your wish is granted."

The creature clapped its hands twice, switching off the game console and TV, and then a third time to disappear.

For the first time in a long time, Izumi Konata fell asleep before 1 a.m.

*********

The following day in class, Konata had to face the facts. Sleeping in the classroom had its advantages, such as (more or less) avoiding chastising by Kuroi-sensei, though it was also a major drawback since it made the mornings even longer.

Finally, the ringing of the bell announced midday's break and the girl welcomed it with a sigh of relief.

Konata hurried to meet up with Tsukasa and Miyuki. Once she found them, she helped them clump their desks together for the meal. Five minutes later, Kagami joined them, as usual. The gang retrieved their lunch boxes and began to eat.

"Kagamin, you'll have to explain to me the math homework because I fell asleept while doing it yesterday," Konata said mournfully.

"You want me to explain it or do it?" Kagami asked, raising an eyebrow, not fooled at all.

"You know, Onee-chan, this morning Kona-chan has been very serious," Tsukasa backed up, defending her friend. "She even took notes!"

"Oh, wow, she took notes...? " Kagami said, falsely impressed.

"It's true!" The blue-haired girl insisted. "I actually slept yesterday, so I didn't have to catch up in class or anything. Besides..."

Konata frowned and pursed her lips, trying to get her hands on a fleeting memory.

"Besides, that's maybe why I've had a really weird dream. There was a strange bug sitting on my Playstation. And I think she asked me to make a wish!"

"A wish? What a nice dream to have for the 1st of January, Izumi-san!" Miyuki commented softly.

"And what did you wish for, Kona-chan?" Tsukasa asked curiously.

"Let me guess, did you wish for a third season of Haruhi?" Kagami cut in with a wry smile. "Or maybe... for a Fall and Spring Comiket to be added to the year?"

These mocking propositions were interrupted by a sudden punch on the table which startled the girls.

"That's it ! I remember now! I'd asked that real life were as fun as a video game!" Konata proclaimed victoriously. "And by the way, Kagami, more Comikets would be too much for my wallet."

Kagami shook her head, rolling her eyes. Konata was so predictable.... now she would probably rave on and on about what it would be like if they were living in a video game.

The blue-haired weirdo began with enthusiasm, "Can you imagine if--"

But a piercing shriek interrupted her suddenly.

"What... what was that?" Tsukasa whimpered, turning pale.

"It's coming from the playground!" Kagami explaimed, rushing to the window as more screams resounded.

What she saw down there froze her with terror.

"Oh my... Come, look at that!" She said with a cracking voice and a wavering grimace.

Students were running all over the place, fleeing from what appeared to be heaps of moving jelly with unfriendly intentions.

A moan and cry of astonishment resounded next to Kagami as Tsukasa and Miyuki arived at the window. As for Konata, she was witnessing the scene with wide eyes as the beating of her heart dangerously began to quicken.

"My wish...," she whispered in disbelieving shock.

All across the room, the students that remained were gathering their things to flee the building. Calls of fear were resounding everywhere.

"It's my wish!" Konata cried again, louder.

"What are you saying!?" Kagami asked, watching her with an alarmed glare.

"There are monsters in the playground, that's impossible! It can only be because of my wish! That was not a dream!"

"Oh, _please_--!" Kagami began with sarcasm.

She would have loved to end her sentence in order to bring Konata back to reality, but for once, she couldn't find a reasonable argument.

"If that's really the case... what should we do Izumi-san?" Miyuki asked, preferring to have a far-fetched explanation than no explanation at all.

Konata did a flip-flop and started to walk slowly.

"Let me think," she said pensively. "If this really is a game, we need heroes to slaughter the monsters. And, of course, that will be us!"

"Oh, geez, spare me!" Kagami cried in aggravation, not wanting to believe any of that was actually happening.

Tsukasa let out a yelp of fear and Miyuki delicately placed a reassuring arm on her shoulder.

"But heroes need weapons," Konata continued. "So, that comes first: we have to find some!"

"Such as... this chair?" Miyuki suggested, hesitating.

_Miyuki-san, what exactly is your idea of a weapon, anyway? _Konata thought, surprised.

"Miyuki, I don't want to offend you, but I really hope we'll find something better," Kagami said.

"Let's see... if I was a lethal weapon of destruction, I would hide"--Konata looked around and spotted something of interest--"in this giant cardboard box!"

_Could it be that she's actually enjoying the situation?_ Kagami thought with incredulity. _No, more like, when did that giant cardboard box get in here!?_

"BINGO! Come here! This is even better than what I had in mind!" Konata exulted, standing before the box.

Her three friends joined her and discovered with astonishment the unbelievably high supply of odd items inside the box.

"Pick something you like! As for me, I think I'll be happy with... this!"

And Konata triumphantly brandished her weapon of choice: it was a beautiful sword. On its sharp blade, faint, golden stripes were running. As soon as she got her hands on it, a whirlwind which emerged from the sword swallowed her. Once it vanished, instead of her school uniform, the girl was now wearing a red and silver armor with a small shield tied to her left arm. The attire did not entirely cover her figure, which would explain why her belly button was slightly visible.

"I don't think we have any other choice but to accept what Izumi-san is telling us," Miyuki concluded, having been the first one to recover her voice after Konata's spectacular transformation.

"So... whose turn is it now?" The otaku asked, grinning mischievously. "Hmmm... Does anyone want a bell? Or maybe a flute?"

"Oh, please, not a flute, I can't play it...," Tsukasa admitted with embarrassment. "Choose what you think suits me best, Kona-chan."

"Got it! This should work!" Konata cheered, and Tsukasa found herself holding a long staff which curled at the top. The upper part was adorned by a pure white gem set in elaborate interlaces. A few seconds and a whirlwind later, the girl reappeared wearing a long, white hooded dress with a red border at the end.

Concerned, Tsukasa inspected herself from every angle before seeking her sister's approval.

"It suits you very well, Tsukasa," Kagami said reassuringly, flashing her sister a kind smile.

_But am I seriously going along with this situation?_ Kagami thought as a side comment, a bit stunned. _Do I even have I choice? I don't think denying it would be enough to take us out of this world which seems to be born off Konata's twisted mind._

Meanwhile, Miyuki had already grown bold enough to come near the cardboard box and was taking out something which seemed to be a tremendous bag.

"My, what is this?" she wondered with curiosity. "It doesn't resemble a weapon at all."

As soon as the bag came into contact with her hands, the transformation triggered once again. Miyuki was now clad in a loose-fitting black jacket adorned with remarkably golden buttons along the lapels, all topping it off with a matching cap. Gauging the gravity of her clothes, the meganekko opened her bag to see which type of weapons she could rely on.

"Ohoho, I think I've found the perfect weapon for Kagami!" Konata chuckled, and then shoved a huge gun in her friend's arms.

_What is this--a bazooka!? _Kagami thought, stupefied. Though it was too late for her to protest, for she transformation had already begun and she had no choice but to submit to it.

She appeared then in a yellow and purple outfit. It was made up of a long asymmetrical skirt which was showing her right leg, partly hidden by a huge cartridge belt slung over her shoulder.

"Nnn, Kagamin is surprisingly sexy dressed like that, and even on the verge of indecency," Konata commented, squinting her eyes.

"S-stop checking me out!" Kagami stuttered out. "Besides, it's not like your outfit is any better, your thighs are totally showing!"

"Oh, Kagami, you can't prevent your eyes from looking down there? You're embarrassing me..." Konata simpered.

"For humanity's sake, please stop your nonsense and explain to us what we should do with these things!" Kagami shouted, her ears scarlet.

Instantly, Konata became serious and began to explain. "As you can see, we are now a well balanced group. What gamers would call a _party_. We got all we need: a _tank_, a _healer_, a _DD_ and a _de/buffer_. All we have to do now is go into the arena and show these monsters what the tank is made of!... Or dressed in!"

Her three friends were staring at her with incomprehension.

"A tank? I don't see any...," Tsukasa said in confusion, totally lost.

Konata shook her head. _This is going to be harder than I expected. _She would have to explain in a simpler way if she wanted her friends to understand their jobs.

« The _tank_ is the one who protects the others, and takes hits in their stead. I'm a Warrior, so that's my job. The _healer_ is you, Tsukasa, you're a Priestess and you'll have to heal us. Kagami is a _damage dealer_, which means she'll have to inflict frequent damage on the monsters in order to kill them fast. And lastly, Miyuki-san... I'm not sure but I think you're kind of an alchemist. You should have enough medicines in your bag to help your allies and weaken your foes. Understood? Then, let's head out, troops! "

And with a twirl, Konata made her way to the door in a flow of blue hair.

"Wait, Konata!" Kagami called, rushing to her friend along with her schoolbag. "You can't fight with your hair down like this. It's not safe." She pulled out a hair band. "Come, I'll tie your hair in a ponytail."

Kagami had spoken spontaneously, personally knowing how annoying extremely long hair could be, but when she saw the sudden glint in Konata's eyes, and the grin which was slowly making its way to her lips, it was with horror that she then realized she had subjected herself to the inappropriate comments Konata was so fond of.

Surprisingly, though, the blue-haired girl did nothing but meet Kagami's suggestion with approval. The taller girl ran her fingers through Konata's loose hair, gathering it with dexterity. At this touch, Konata half-closed her eyes. With effort, she managed to calm her breath, which was then instantaneously destroyed when Kagami accidentally brushed her nape. Konata winced violently.

"Oh, sorry, did I pull your hair?" Kagami questioned, sounding both concerned and apologetic.

"It's fine, but could you be more gentle?" Konata grumbled in order to keep her composure.

_So soft..._ Kagami thought abstractedly as her hands wandered a bit more through those azure locks. When she finally realized what she was doing, her eyes grew wide with panic. _OhmygodwhatamIthinking? This ponytail is done, now let her go, dammit! _

"Say, Konata," she said abruptly, breaking off the awkward moment of intimacy as well as the flushing which had been spreading across her cheeks. "Why doesn't my job have a real name?"

Konata turned around when she felt the strain on her hair loosen.

"You can be a Gunner if you want, a Markswoman, or even a Sniper!"

Now face to face, the girls couldn't help but notice the blush on each other's countenances. Kagami jumped backwards in a jolt.

"L-let's go, it's useless to stay here!" She exclaimed with false enthusiasm.

"Yeah! Follow me, I'm leading the way!" Konata shouted, opening the classroom's door with the same brutal exaggeration.

Tsukasa and Miyuki followed, oblivious to the implications that the previous scene might have prominently given out.

* * *

Next to come : **Level 1 : The Playground ~Tutorial~**


	2. Level 1 : The Playground

**Level 1 : The Playground ~Tutorial~**

They were running down the stairs. They were a party of four: the _Alchemist_ with her gentle yet resolute guise, who silently wondered how to best utilize the contents of her new-found bag. The clumsy but hospitable _Priestess_ who held tightly onto her staff, all the while attempting to avoid thoughts of the upcoming fight. The bold and fearless _Warrior, _who misguidedly led the way. And lastly...

"Hey, Ms. Sniper, don't fall behind!" Konata jokingly shouted behind her after she noticed one quarter of her party was missing.

"Gunner, please!" a somewhat short-winded voice corrected, followed by heavy steps down the flight of stairs that led off-campus.

In actuality, Kagami was struggling with moving around in her new outfit. It was becoming gradually difficult for her to adjust to her selected attire due to the embarrassing fact that whenever she moved, a bit of skin grew inappropriately visible. Failing to find a decent way to walk, though, she resigned and dejectedly submitted herself to remaining sexy.

Finally arriving downstairs, Konata placed her hands on the double door and, before opening it, she glanced back at her friends.

"Does everyone understand their job?" she queried one last time.

Grave nods were communicated in response.

Assimilating these tense expressions staring back at her, Konata smiled and reassured, "Don't worry. Blobs are always the first monsters one fights in an RPG. Trust me, we'll make it through."

She punched the door open and the girls found themselves in the playground, being showered by sunlight. Students were no longer present in the campus. A few bags, some books and an abandoned shoe were the only remains of the panic that took place not too long ago. Here and there, gelatinous masses the size of inferior mountains were wandering, emanating disgusting sucking sounds and behind them leaving trails of a gooey, mucus-like substance.

The girls jumped in reaction to the unexpected slamming sound of the door behind them shutting. A white, luminous circle, which contained illegible inscriptions, gradually took shape on it.

"Izumi-san?" Miyuki called alarmingly after witnessing the phenomenon.

"Oho, it seems that the door is now sealed," Konata noted with amusement.

"Sealed? Does that mean we can't go back inside anymore?" Kagami disbelievingly asked.

"Oh no...," Tsukasa lamented, on the verge of fainting. "A-are we stuck out here with all these monsters?"

"We'll have to find a key if we want to go reenter the building," Konata explained. "or find another entrance, or break in through the roof, or maybe even--"

"Alright, alright!" Kagami interrupted, raising her hand. "As we did with everything else, let's just accept the fact that we can't go back in. Now, let's take care of these slimy things."

"Well said, Kagamin!" Konata cheered, the added with a mischievous grin, "Can't wait to show off your firepower, huh?"

And with confidence, Konata drew her respective sword from the scabbard she carried on her back. _SCHLIIIING_! She giggled at the rough, metallic noise it produced after its wielding She turned look at her friends, the combative spark in her eyes suddenly vanishing and being replaced with those of wonder.

"Have you ever noticed that in movies with sword fights, all the weapons' sounds are exaggerated?" she commented. "When they're drawn from a leather scabbard, swung in the air, or even thrusted into someone's flesh. There's really no reason to hear the same metallic sound, is there?"

"You've made a potentially argueable point, Izumi-san," Miyuki said, bringing a hand to her cheek. "I, too, have taken a notice of this. It may probably be because sounds such as those add tension and action to the battle."

"_Ehem_," Kagami loudly cleared her throat, interrupting the couple's conversation. "Don't get me wrong. I'd love to stand here and chat about movies and swords and whatnot, but I don't think now is the right time. One of those _things _is heading our way."

And a green blob was indeed heading towards them, its distorted countenance grimacing menacingly.

"Let the fight begin!" Konata shouted out, jumping forward. "Remember our formation: I'm the frontline and you guys are all in the back!"--she turned back to the monster--"Now... BRING IT ON, FATTY!"

Kagami suddenly felt self-conscious.

The little Warrior, tightly holding her sword with both hands, rushed at the disgusting monster on which she lashed her weapon upon with all her might. The monster emitted a gurgle which everyone deduced to be a moan of pain.

Miyuki pulled out a small pouch from her utility bag and grabbed a pinch of the powder that resided within.

"Blindness!" She said, clumsily launching it upon the blob. She almost tripped, as she had thrown the magic dust with too much force. "Oooaa! Forgive me, Tsukasa-san!"

She had just accidentally stepped on the foot of the younger twin, who was instantly startled and subsequently recoiled in alarm. Her shoulder hit Miyuki's arm and caused her to drop the powder, which then flew the wrong way.

"Aaaah!" Konata protested, being the unfortunate recipient of the powder's incredible effects. "I can't see anymore! I'm blind! I'm melting, I tell ya! _Melting_~!"

"I apologize, Izumi-san, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

_Isn't she overexaggerating...?_ Kagami thought pragmatically. _Wait, like, that not what I should be focusing on here. It's my turn to come into the picture. Killing the blob shouldn't require more than one shot._

The girl deftly slipped three cartridges into her weapon. Holding the grip with both hands, she aimed carefully, and after placing her target in the right spot, she fired. The powerful blast, which pushed her back, took her by surprise. She didn't expect it to be so potent. With the flow of adrenaline rushing through her, she became more confident and began to chain the shots in frequency.

From its gelatinous body, the blob shaped a kind of arm ended by a fist, with which it then sternly punched Konata in the chest. Sightless, the blue-haired girl was unable to foresee the hit and dodge it, and so was forcefully slapped to the ground, her breath short and inconsistent.

"Is...is this what it's like to be K.O'ed...?" she grunted with a weak laugh. _Didn't seem so painful on TV..._

Freed from its the most outstanding source of bother, the monster decided to rid itself of the unceasing stings which were riddling its back. It whipped around and charged at Kagami.

"Blindness!" Miyuki shouted again, propelling the powder onto the blob this time. She was mentally proud of herself.

"Uhn!? I'm up, I'm up!" Konata proclaimed, sorely getting back on her feet. "Where is it? COME BACK, YOU SACK OF ROTTEN SLIME!"

"Err, Konata? Help...," Kagami called softly, attempting to avoid inciting the monster to attack any sooner than intended as it rushed towards her.

Unable to think of a way to escape, Kagami tentatively moved back, her shooting growing faster. She was hoping to terminate it before it had the chance to hit her. Konata started to chase after the monster, wincing every now on then due to her previous injury.

"Heal me, Tsukasa!" she shouted.

Its sight blurred by Miyuki's powder, the blob missed the Gunner twice. But the third blow struck her head, making the rest of her body go limp and collapse. She was still conscious, but immobile.

"Tsukasa-san, heal your sister !" Miyuki cried out, agitated.

Tsukasa moaned in distress. She was totally lost, everything was occuring too fast for her to process. Too bad this game didn't have a pause button. She knew, though, that if she didn't act fast, the hideous slob would hurt her sister as well as Konata.

"Tsukasa! Heal us!" Konata screamed once more, this time with more urgency, slashing the blob's back with her sword. "LEAVE KAGAMI ALONE, YOU HEAP OF EXPIRED JAM!!"

After some time to assemble her scattered courage, Tsukasa shook her staff about and shrieked in desperation:

"H-heal Onee-chan! Heal Kona-chan!" she gulped. "Pipiru piru piru pipiru pii!"

_Tsukasa-san... what are you doing? _Miyuki thought helplessly.

As Tsukasa finally drew the creature's attention towards her, Konata could feel the pain lighten and her strength returning. She grinned widely and shot Tsukasa a thumbs up, who wasn't even aware of having been sent one. Now that Konata had fully recovered, the level 1 blob was going to pay. She launched herself at the creature and furiously impaled it with her sword. Before the creature, Kagami, her wound forgotten, was reloading her weapon with new bullets to terminate the duel.

"Heal Onee-chan! Heal Kona-chan!" Tsukasa continued with her eyes shut, distraught.

At last, the blob shattered in a surprisingly solid spray of luminous sparks. Konata shouted joyfully and struck a victorious pose. She had fun.

"Pipiru piru piru pipi--!"

"Um... Tsukasa, you can stop now," Kagami informed with a deadpan expression.

"E-eh?"

Once the glittering shards vanished, though, the girls instantly fell silent, stunned by the sight displayed before them. Where the monster had just been exterminated, a student now lied in a fetal position.

"Ta... Takahashi?" Kagami murmured in astonishement, recognizing him. She turned to her battle mates. "He's in the same class as me!"

The boy got up slowly, looking around him, dazed.

"And he's a complete moron, for that matter," the twin-tailed Gunner added disdainfully.

"D-did the monster eat him?" Tsukasa asked, an expression of pure terror plastered upon the face.

"Either that or... he was the monster and we have freed him from a terrible curse that he was bestowed with and had to endure the moment this world changed!" Konata suggested, inhaling deeply after speaking a long sentence without a pause.

"Well, being a blob suits him perfectly," Kagami spat with a venomous tone. "Such a retarded guy..."

Konata involuntarily began to wonder what history he and Kagami had. Why was she acting so indifferent?

Miyuki extended a hand for the young man to grab and helped him back to his feet.

"What happened?" Miyuki asked with sympathetic concern. "Are you able to recall anything?"

Takahashi shook his head, eyes still foggy and vague. He rubbed his temples and groaned.

"I... I don't understand. I was having class... I think? Everything is blurry and my head hurts," he complained. He stared straight ahead and his eyes met with Kagami's. "Oh, Hiiragi-san, is that you ? What are you _wearing_? Is it cosplay? I'm dreaming, aren't I?"

He gulped nervously. Meeting the class prefect as well as the most respected student in his year appeared to come right off one of his fantasies, so it could only be a dream.

Following the trail Takahashi's eyes were wandering towards, Kagami immediately turned scarlet and covered herself, feeling conspicuous.

"Th-that's exactly right! This is a dream!" Kagami sputtered out. "If you're not able to give us useful information, then scram!"

She directed, with the end of her gun, to the school's exit gate.

"And hurry! This place is dangerous!" she warned. She didn't want to be rude, but she also didn't want any more people involved in this chaos.

"A-at your command, Ojou-sama," the student said with a somewhat uneasy, awkward bow before running away.

Konata ended up bursting into laughter and flopped onto the ground.

"Well done, everyone! You did great for rookies!" she congratulated. "And not only that, we now even have a mystery to solve!"

"Onee-chan!" the Priestess belatedly whimpered, throwing herself into her older sister's arms. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? I was so scared!"

"Everything's fine, Tsukasa, thanks to you," Kagami reassured, patting her lightly on the head. "You did well, just try to relax a bit more next time. By the way, Konata, were the shouts and insults really necessary?"

"Of course," the otaku replied with a wise nod. "That's basic knowledge for any screen game. The insults draw the monsters towards you and also help you release frustration. Like, wouldn't it be boring if the character had no reaction whatsoever to what was going on during the battle?" All of a sudden, though, her eyes grew somber as she stared straight into the Gunner's. "Promise me you'll be more careful next time. If you don't shoot with the right timing, you'll be the one the monsters will attack."

"All... all right." Kagami nodded slowly, perplexed by the unusual graveness in Konata's voice.

The otaku resumed with her analysis of the duel.

"Tsukasa, try to focus and heal us only when we are hit, or you'll waste your magic," Konata lectured. "Also, try not to reference anime in the middle of a fight."

"I-I-I thought those were magic words that might help trigger my ability...?" Tsukasa admitted abashedly, fiddling with her staff.

"No, those were _Dokuro-chan_'s magic words." Konata informed, sauntering over to Tsukasa and placing a hand on her shoulder. "You'll soon find your own, young one!"

"O...okay?" Tsukasa said.

Konata turned to the meganekko and scrutinized her figure, to which she blushed. "Miyuki-san, do you remember when I said how _moe_ your clumsiness was?"

"Yes, indeed," she said softly with embarrassment. "Though I never really understood--"

"_Moe_ is in real life. For games, the word is _noob_," Konata said without mercy. "My eyes are still stinging."

"I truly am sorry, Izumi-san, I will not commit this mistake ever again," Miyuki apologized, bowing deeply, even if she still failed to decipher all the terms Konata had just used.

The blue-haired girl bounced up with a leap and clung to the arm of the girl who was still apologizing.

"I'm just kidding, Miyuki-san!" she said cheerfully, reassuring the poor girl. "From now on, though, you all have to be careful. I've really felt this blob's hits, and know this is not just a game anymore. But we have time to train. I'm sure there are still a lot of students out there to rescue."

"When was the last time we've seen Konata this serious?" Kagami whispered to her sister, pensive. "The Comicket?"

Tsukasa nodded in consent.

"Yeah, maybe that's why she's scaring me. Especially when she's ordering us around. Have the roles reversed?"

Konata nonchalantly placed her sword to rest on her shoulder and scanned the playground with a lingering glance.

"So, which do you want to fight next? A green, a red, a yellow one? We have choice," Konata commented, categorizing the blobs in color groups.

"What would be the difference, Izumi-san?" Miyuki asked innocently while Kagami shrugged.

The battles that followed weren't as intense. Little by little, each one in the party of four were becoming more comfortable with their jobs. Also, every time they defeated a monster, a dazed student would appear in its grave. None of the victims were able to explain or recall what happened to them before waking, so the girls would just release them from the campus so they could run off to safety. Wherever safety was...

After a few more fights, Konata recognized one of the student-blobs and couldn't help but kick him in the guts before he had the strength to rise.

"Kona-chan!" Tsukasa exclaimed, shocked at her friend's roughness.

"I've caught him making fun of Yuu-chan several times," she explained. "Even though I think Minami has already dealt with him, I've been itching to do this for a long time."

That was the only noteworthy incident the girls confronted. By the late afternoon, the playground was emptied of the level one monsters which had previously colonized it as well as their human hosts.

"Shouldn't something occur now?" Miyuki questioned. "Have we not yet terminated our _quest_?"

"It must be because the boss still remains," Konata surmised, cupping her chin pensively. "If we destroy it, then maybe we'll get some results. Let's go look for it!"

The small and hyperactive warrior felt Kagami's arm inadvertently brush past her and a mischievous light sparked in her eyes. She allowed Miyuki and Tsukasa to walk on ahead and scooted closer to her friend, snuggling her cheek on the taller girl's shoulder.

"By the way, Kagamin~" she drawled in a purr. "You were very _tsuntsun_ with that poor Takahashi-kun. What should I assume, hnn? Would he have forgotten to answer a passionate love letter you might have put in his locker, maybe?"

As soon as these words excaped her lips, Konata was shocked at the unexpected twinge of sadness she felt at this image.

Kagami shoved her off her shoulder with no delicacy. She appeared to be hurt and the redness which was flooding her cheeks was mostly due to anger than embarrassment.

"Stop insinuating nonsenses! When I said he was stupid, you could have at least tried to believe me for once," she mumbled dryly. "That moron kept bullying Minegishi. He spread silly rumors about her, placed filthy things on her chair and so on..."

"Hmm, I guess that means all the students we've rescued weren't exactly the role models of the year," Konata shrugged, using this beneficial turn of topics to forget about the previous playful accusation.

"Kona-chan! I think I saw something moving over there!" Tsukasa called out during the couple's conversation.

The two hurried their pace and caught up with Miyuki and Tsukasa. By then, they were all able to clearly observe the massive gelatin shape which was wandering under the awning that led to the WC. Konata grimaced at the sight.

"It really _is_ bigger than the others, huh?" she noted, scratching the back of her head.

"Izumi-san, I have a special powder in my bag. I have spared it so far, but I believe now will be a good time to use it. Is that alright with you?"

"That's our Miyuki-san, as far-sighted as always! What's the powder for?"

"It is paralyzing powder."

"As long as you aim it towards the target this time, then it's fine!" the Warrior said with a wink. "Are you ready?"

The girls nodded with, more or less, enthusiasm.

"So, let's go! THIS WAY, YOU DEFORMED JIGGLY PIECE OF GELATIN!" Konata shouted, charging at the huge, gelatinous heap of red.

The girl ran in zigzags towards the monster and delivered a horizontal attack with a wide circular move as soon as it was at range. Then, she jumped nimbly on the side.

"Blindness! Paralysis!" Miyuki chanted.

The powders settled on the blob with a light crackle. The boss blob growled and charged at Konata, who avoided the attack with her shield. Nevertheless, some of its blows managed to hit her but, fortunately, the Warrior quickly felt the effects of Tsukasa's healing incantations. The shy Priestess was finally starting to fulfill her role the way she was meant to. At the same time, the regular cadence of shots from Kagami indicated how wisely cautious she was being.

"Hey, look at me, YOU FILTHY CHERRY-FLAVORED JELL-O!" Konata reminded strongly, feeling the blob's attention turning to her mates.

The battle seemed to drag on forever, and exhaustion was replacing the will to keep going. Konata's attacks were growing sloppier and she was neglecting her defense, hoping to get it over with once and for all. But the blows which were striking her were becoming increasingly more numerous and were slowly consuming her stamina.

"I can't heal! It's not working anymore!" Tsukasa anxiously cried in urgency.

"Aww, that sucks. We have no other choice but to kill it now or we're dead! In game and real life terms!" Konata panted.

Not knowing what to do, the healer rushed to the boss and began to frantically strike and jab it with her frail staff. "Take that! And this, too! Also--oh, was that too hard!? I mean, I show no mercy!"

"Uh, Tsukasa...?"

It seemed, though, that even a mosquito's bite would be more effective than Tsukasa's magical stick. But to everyone's surprise, the monster ended up crumbling itself up into a ball and disappearing in a blast of light.

"Bravo, Tsukasa, well done!" Konata congratulated her, running over to embrace her.

"Eww, Kona-chan, I don't want to offend you, but if you could keep your distance...," the Priestess voiced, covering her nose to prevent the filthy smell that originated from Konata to enter.

The blue-haired girl was indeed splashed with a smelly, pinkish gel that used to make up the monster's body, a token from all of the blows she had been struck with. Laughing, Kagami came to poke her in the cheek.

"You should go and clean youself," she suggested with a chuckle. "What a shame, it nearly looks like strawberry jam."

"And if it was? What would you do, hnn?" Konata queried huskily with an impish grin.

Kagami sighed and chose not to respond. It would be too simple for Konata to twist the more innocent of her comments into something disturbing. Everything she said could and would be used against her. Konata pouted, disappointed at not having been able to provoke any one of those cute, blushing reactions.

"Everyone, look at what the monster has left in its place!" Miyuki called, standing before the creature's grave. "It's not a student this time."

She squatted down and raised a hand which held a round crystal with a beautiful golden light to her friends.

"Does this item mean... we've won?" Tsukasa asked, bubbling with hope.

"I doubt it," Konata said, a part of her desiring to be right. "It resembles a key. Which means we have to find a lock! Wait for me a second, I'll try to take this dirt off. Come help me, Kagami."

Taking the Gunner by surprise, she caught her wrist and flew down to the toilets. Left to only each other's company, Miyuki and Tsukasa stared at one another, unsure of what would happen next. They could hear muffled exclamations emanating from the toilets. They smiled awkwardly.

"Stop wriggling if you want me to clean it!"

"Yahaha, you're tickling me!"

"Yuck, this thing is sticky..."

Tsukasa began to idly rock on her heels and buried her hands in the depth of the pockets of her dress. Her fingers met with something.

"Yuki-chan, look what I've found! It's a tiny book. That's weird, most of the pages are blank and... oooh..."

Tsuksa reddened with embarrassment, understanding what it was after short contemplation--her spell book.

"It teaches some protection spells," she whispered sheepishly. "Even some to cure poison, but there's _level 2_ written next to it."

"I have some new vials," Miyuki, who had started rummaging through her bag, noted as well. "Oh, and this is. .. poison??"

A bit worried, she delicately put the small bottle down again. It was probably wiser to wait for Konata's opinion.

"Don't play with water!"

"But it's fun~!"

"I said no!"

"Ouch, my eye!"

"Serves you right, ha ha!"

Shortly after the two girls left the toilets, Konata was a bit cleaner but both of them in general were a lot wetter.

It was now time to search for the crystal's use.

* * *

Next to come : **Level 2 : The Gymnasium**


	3. Level 2 : The Gymnasium

Thanks for the reviews everyone ! It keeps me motivated to go on with the translation. And it's not an easy task ^^ !

And if you can guess which MMORPG I'm playing, you win ;) (I don't know what, but you win !)

* * *

**3-** **Level 2 : The Gymnasium**

Dragging her friends in her wake, Konata was crossing the playground vigorously.

"You're right, we have certainly leveled up. It seems a new technique has been imprinted on my mind!" she was saying.

She patted her forehead pensively. After Tsukasa and Miyuki had delivered the results of their own observations, they knew they now only needed to find a considerable amount of monsters to try all those novelties upon.

Kagami suddenly allowed an exclamation to escape her lips. She nudged Konata on the arm and pointed a finger toward the gymnasium. All the girls could see a golden seal shimmering on the entrance door. It was exactly of the same colour as the crystal's, so they scurried off to the building in curiosity.

Miyuki held the crystal out to Konata and, without wavering, the little Warrior placed it firmly on the center of the seal. The two lighty sources started to pulse in unison before vanishing bit by bit.

"We've unlocked a new level!" Konata proudly announced, slamming open the door of the gymnasium in her excitement.

A heavy silence welcomed them soon after, as well as the usual smell of dust, sweat and parquet the place originally held. On each side of the entrance were the doors leading to the locker rooms. It was impossible not to notice the luminous halo enshrouding their keyholes.

Just to be sure, Konata turned the handle, but the doors were, as expected, locked. When she turned back around, she spotted her friends at the end of the hallway, transfixed by a sight she couldn't yet perceive. She caught up with them in just a few steps and it was her turn to be stunned.

All the equipments of the gymnasium were piled up in a huge mountain of items against one of the walls. This heap of mats, trampolines, beams, nets, goals posts, pommel horses, and uneven bars were forming a scaffold of an incredible height whose summit was nearly reaching the ceiling. Everywhere, strange birds with hooked beaks were flying, making rustling noises with their fluttering bat wings.

"I'm afraid to understand our goal...," Kagami whispered, biting her lower lip.

"It looks like a level in the old Donkey Kong games!" Konata exclaimed.

Miyuki put a comforting hand on Tsukasa's shoulder. The poor girl was shaking like a leaf.

"O... Onee-chan, I'm already feeling dizzy so please don't make me climb up there!"

"We have no choice, the gymnasium appears to be empty except for this... climbing wall. The keys to the changing rooms must be up there," the little otaku explained.

Reluctantly, the girls neared the base. The prospect of the climbing wasn't appealing to anyone, even Konata, but they knew it was the only way.

"I'll stay here and wait for you," Tsukasa said, more determined than anyone had ever seen her. "I would only slow you down."

"Tsukasa, you can't stay here alone!" The Warrior exclaimed.

Kagami nodded in agreement.

"It's too dangerous," she finished.

Kagami nodded again.

"I mean, what if someone attacks us and you're no there to heal us?"

"Konata!" Kagami scolded, shocked. "It would be far more dangerous for Tsukasa to stay here than for us to go up there."

Kagami sighed and turned to Tsukasa. "You wouldn't be able to defend yourself if you were attacked, would you, Tsukasa? So just come with us."

Her younger sister seemed to consider the pros and cons. None of the options were exactly satisfying, but sticking with her friends seemed to be wiser. She sighed deeply and resigned herself to following the crowd.

Konata jumped on a springboard and clung to the lowest of the uneven bars before climbing on it by the strength of her wrists. She turned over to motion for the others to follow her. The ascension began!

And the advance was far from easy. The girls had to constantly help, push or cling to each other. The structure on which they were progressing was now showing even more of the chaos it was made of than they could have guessed from the bottom. The piling up of so many unbelievable items was forming chasms and peaks, as if they wanted to imitate a real mountain.

"Grab my hand, Tsukasa!" Konata shouted, always the first to cross the obstacles.

"Don't let me go yet, Onee-chan," the youngest twin pleaded, checking behind her shoulder to make sure her sister was watchful of her.

Driven on by fear, she gripped Konata's hand before jumping over the hole which was opened under her feet. The poor Tsukasa was by far not the most nimble of the bunch, but to be honest, her bulky priestess' gown wasn't made for this kind of activity, either.

"Yuki-chan, watch out!"

As soon as she landed on the mats, which were forming a small platform, she saw one of those awful birds charging at her two friends from behind. Hit head-on, Miyuki rolled to the ground, while Konata was drawing her sword.

"Hey, FLYING MACAQUE, mess with someone your own size!"

"Here we go again...," Kagami sighed.

Still on the other side of the hole, the Gunner tried to settle down the best she could on the top of the handball's cage to load her weapon. For her part, Tsukasa hastened to heal Miyuki, who had gotten up and later apologized profusely for her absent-mindedness. When the two girls returned their attention to the battle, they heard a loud :

"Konata Thunder Spinning Slash!!"

Before watching their friend strike her sword on the flying creature after jumping and swirling in the air. The enemy vanished instantaneously.

"Oops, maybe it was a bit too much." Konata said, scratching the back of her head with a sheepish smile.

And again, a student appeared where the monster was defeated.

"She's a girl from class 2-B." Tsukasa recognized her straight away. "She's really good at racing!"

The girls had to take a few minutes to reassure the student and explain to her the situation, while staying vague enough so as to not worry her too much. She, too, was unable to explain what had occurred to her. The prospect of the descent didn't seem to bother her. But she wasn't totally back to herself, as her foggy look could testify.

"All right, if all's now settled, can you guys help me cross now?"

Kagami's voice could be heard across the chasm, where the girl was waiting, still sitting on the top of the handball's cage. Once the Gunner was picked up, the party resumed moving.

***

"Oh, boy, I never thought a plinth could have so many segments!"

Tsukasa stopped abruptly in front of the obstacle and looked up to notice its height with consternation.

"I'll give you a leg-up," Konata suggested.

Kagami raised one eyebrow.

"I doubt a leg _this_ short will be enough," she said wryly.

"You can laugh! After all, I am still the lightest and I have the best spring out of all of you. It will be easier to lift me up once you three are up there. At the least, easier than a chubby tsundere...." Konata teased.

Kagami's mouth went wide in indignation and the otaku, foreseeing an explosion, hid behind Miyuki. But the girl settled for just groaning her disapproval. She was the one who had started to joke about Konata's size after all, so she just got what she deserved.

Konata took place at the bottom of the plinth, hands clasped, and encouraged her friends to lean on her. Miyuki came first. Thanks to the impulse given by Konata, she managed to catch the top on which she heaved herself up with great difficulty. She was then able to help Tsukasa in joining her.

"Yuki-chan, I've had enough, I want this to be over," She whimpered when she reached the top. "Everyday life was good enough for me, I never wanted to go on adventures...."

The girl was red and out of breath, and in her eyes were gleaming tears of fear she was struggling to hold back. Miyuki took the time to comfort her in sympathy.

"Be brave, Tsukasa-san. It doesn't appeal to me much, either, but we have no other choice. You'll see, I am sure that when we will stop climbing, it will be much better. The top is not so far!"

Being the last one, Kagami placed her foot on Konata's hands and the girl sprung her upwards. The Gunner caught the top with one hand while her sister grabbed her other arm. Straightening up to her full height, Konata kept supporting her friend. When Kagami finally heaved herself up to the top, the blue-haired girl let her fingers linger along her ankles, longingly.

Konata allowed herself a sigh of disappointment. It was only a few months ago in which she had realized that her constant need to tease Kagami, to touch her in the slightest by the most insignificant pretext, wasn't innocent at all. She had accepted the truth easily. Unfortunately, she was aware that Kagami wasn't ready to hear it, and even less to notice it by herself.

Pushing doubt and anxiety into the background, the little otaku decided to just make the most of their everyday relationship, hoping for a favorable opportunity to arise. And here, far from their usual surroundings, where they were facing new and even dangerous situations, who knew what could happen?

"...nata, are you dreaming? It's your turn!"

Kagami's voice dragged her out of her thoughts. The girl was now lying flat on her stomach on the top of the plinth and was holding her hands out to her. Konata smiled broadly. Exactly this kind of situation.

"I'm coming, Kagamin!!"

She moved back to take a run-up. A few energetic strides brought her at the bottom of the obstacle and she jumped upward, stretching out her arms. Four hands locked on four wrists. Konata leaned on the wooden wall to relieve Kagami of part of her weight. The Gunner gradually stood up, without letting her friend go, and with the help of Tsukasa and Miyuki, Konata was soon with them.

They kept going amongst the jumble. From time to time, a bird would spot them and attack. Fighting those flying creatures was a bit more difficult than the common blobs, but the girls had put in place a routine which turned out to be quite effective.

Miyuki's new poison vials found themselves at use. Weakened by the toxic substance, the birds could only settle for staying at attack's height and gave up the nose dives which made them so hard to hit for Konata.

The summit wasn't as far away now, but a last obstacle presented itself before the party.

"How are we supposed to top this?" Konata said in surprise, looking upwards.

Indeed, they had arrived at the highest point they could reach. However, a cluster of various apparatus were fixed against the wall of the gymnasium, about six meters above them. On the summit of this pile, a small light was pulsating.

The four girls stared at the platform for several long minutes, searching in vain for an idea to reach it. To add to their misfortune, there were neither springboards nor trampolines at their level, and touching at the integrity of the structure to move the items where it could suit them, seemed to be way too dangerous.

"The roof of the gymnasium was never this high, was it?" Tsukasa noticed, a hand clenched against her chest.

"I guess you're right,"Konata chuckled nervously after having glanced far below. "Reality seems to have somewhat been distorted in order to carry out the scenario."

Until now, the blue-haired girl had a lot of fun, without really thinking about the feelings of her friends. But suddenly, she noticed their weariness. The wavering manner in which Miyuki had to take off her glasses and put them back right after, Tsukasa's weak voice and Kagami's exhausted demeanor. All because of her. Konata shrugged and cringed in guilt, a feeling she wasn't used to handling.

"I know!" Kagami cried suddenly, interrupting Konata's invasive thoughts. "I didn't understand the use of this new bullets, but now I know--they are grapplers!"

The Gunner drew a big cartridge out of her belt and slipped it into her weapon. Closing an eye, she aimed at a hurdle which was sticking out the top of the platform. With a loud crack, metal clips bolted out of the gun's barrel, carrying a rope with them.

When the grapplers hit the hurdle, the clips opened and hooked firmly on it. Kagami pulled the rope with all her strenght to estimate its solidity. The grappler stayed hooked.

"I fear we'll have to climb this way," she said with an apologetic smile.

Indeed, the reactions weren't very joyful, but nobody had a better idea in mind. Seeing her friends' dismay, Konata suggested to help in the only way she could.

"I'll hold the rope," she offered. "This way, it'll be easier for you to climb. We can't fix it anywhere here, there's only mats. I'll be your anchor!"

"OK, I'll go first," Kagami declared.

She didn't specify it, but opening the way was allowing her to be sure that the grappler could support everyone's weight. Once up, it would be easier to help her sister, too.

Kagami started to climb with a tentative heart. With eyes locked on her goal, she was moving upward, slowly but surely. She was trying to banish from her mind the image of her own body swaying on a rope at an incredible height.

However, someone was enjoying this picture. In spite of the anxiety to see her friend hanging in mid-air, Konata couldn't take her eyes off the movement of Kagami's thighs on the rope, at times hidden by a tail of her long skirt, which was gracefully fluttering around her body. The blue-haired girl had to blink several times to break off the fascination.

Everyone was greatly relieved when Kagami finally managed to reach the upper platform on which she heaved herself up, safe and sound. After a few minutes needed to get her breath back and stop the uncontrollable shaking of her arms, she stood to signal her friends it was safe they could join her.

Tsukasa was the next. The continual encouragements shouted by her friends helped her refrain from panicking and, above all, to dismiss the situation in which she was currently in. As soon as she could, her sister grabbed her to help her reach the top. Miyuki followed with apprehension. But nothing bad happened and the three were soon on the upper platform.

Next was Konata's turn. She bravely began to climb, in a hurry to join her friends. When she reached half of the rope, her look of a worm hanging on a fishing line attracted a hostile interest. The bird slammed its beak and charged at the defenseless girl.

"Kona-chan, watch out for the bird!" Tsukasa shouted in urgency.

Konata clung with all her strenght to the rope and burried her face in her arm. The creature flew past like a gust, and knocked her with its wing. The rope started to dance wildly.

"Konata! Konata! Hang on!" Kagami shouted, distraught.

But she knew what she had to do in order to save her friend.

"Tsukasa, stay focused, you'll have a lot of healing to do," she forewarned, loading her gun, a sudden resolute expression on her face. "Move back!"

The girl went near the edge and saw Konata fidgeting to reach her sword with a hand before the monster targeted her again.

"Konata, forget your sword and climb as fast as you can!" she ordered.

Then she aimed at the bird and shot without stopping until it diverted its attention from Konata. With a menacing cawing, the creature turned its small red eyes to the three girls. With a few flutters of wings, it reached their level.

"Good boy, come here you... ahem... PTERODACTYL'S EMBRYO !" Kagami encouraged, starting to shoot again.

"What's happening? Kagami, what are you doing? No, I can't allow you--!"

Konata's voice raised with panic, guessing what was happening. But her friends were now too busy to answer. The bird received a full selection of toxic products thrown by a watchful Miyuki. But it wasn't enough to divert its attention from the annoying Gunner who was still shooting. With a blow of its wing, the bird sent Kagami sprawling on the floor, and tried to pin her down with its beak. It missed her only by a few inches.

Screaming, Tsukasa healed her sister who tried to get up while her fingers were desperately searching for new bullets. The beast's claws slashed her shoulder. Kagami crawled on an arm to move away from her opponent, and at the same time, she managed to reload her weapon. Tsukasa's healing incantations came just in time to relieve the pain of her wound and help her shoot with more precision. The impact pushed the bird back but only strengthened its rage.

At last, Kagami managed to get up, but she had only had enough time to leap aside as the monster was charged at her. Its sharp beak drew a bloody line on the girl's forehead.

"TURN AROUND!"

A scream burst amongst a heap of azure hairs. With Miyuki's aid, Konata had finally reached the summit and was now rushing into the fight. With only a few of her sword's strikes, she succeeded in killing the creature, already suffering from many wounds.

Totally unaware of the student who had just materialized, Konata rushed to Kagami's side and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Have you lost your mind? That was way too dangerous! Why did you do that?"

Konata seemed furious, and she would have shaken Kagami like a rag doll if it weren't for the fact that she was already wounded enough. The Gunner flashed a faint smile, blood still running down on her left eye.

"To save you, idiot," she said, breathing heavily. "Excuse me for not standing back to watch how long you could last fighting while holding on a rope with one hand and waving a sword with the other. Tsukasa was healing me anyway, so I wasn't risking anything."

"Oh, right, Heal Onee-chan!" Tsukasa was reminded, having been absorbed in the usual explanations they had to give the students they'd freed. This one was cute.

Konata's look softened as Kagami's wounds were closing up thanks to her sister. She knew her anger was irrational, but seeing her friend in this state had infuriated her.

"Thank you, Kagami," she said softly, and then kissed her lightly on the cheek.

This time, the reaction didn't keep her waiting. Kagami turned scarlet in a blink and pushed her back violently.

"What... what are you doing!?"

"Thanking my savior, of course," Konata explained with big, innocent eyes.

The little otaku became thoughtful and put a finger on her lips.

"Hmm, that's strange. I usually saw myself as the heroic knight, not the princess in distress. Would the reality be inverted?" she muttered with a disturbing graveness.

"Oh, please, stop with your nonsense," Kagami sighed, her natural colour struggling to reappear on her cheeks. "Let's pick up the key and get it over with this annoying level."

"Bye, Tatsuya-kuuuun, I'll cheer for you at your next match, promise!"

At the sound of Tsukasa's voice, Konata and Kagami's universe re-expanded, including once again the world around them both.

"Huh? Tsukasa?"

"What?" Tsukasa asked, surprisingly on the defensive. "Someone has to take care of the students while you're doing the usual stuff I don't get!"

"The key is just up there," Miyuki said abruptly, interrupting the protests to come.

Konata stared curiously at Tsukasa and Miyuki. They seemed to be at the end of their tether and it was showing on their behavior, habitually so gentle. A small part of her couldn't help but wonder how far in this way they could be pushed.

"Let's go," Konata urged.

There was only a pile of junk to climb and they were at the summit. By stretching their arms, they could nearly touch the gymnasium's roof. Here, lying on a basketball board, the changing room's key was waiting for them, shining with a soft blue light. Konata snatched it with a shout of triumph.

"Victory! Now we can... we can... ugh... we can climb back down..."

"Damn it! You've got to be kidding me!" Kagami said, stamping her foot impatiently. "It will take us _hours_ again!"

"I must take a rest first, Izumi-san, or I will never be able to make it."

To everyone's surprise, Tsukasa spoke, her voice quivering with excitement.

"Hold on, everybody, I think I know a spell which could be of use! It's called _Feather Fall,_" she announced, reading her book of magic spells.

She waved her staff above her head and shouted "Feather Fall!" with enthusiasm. Luminous feathers appeared. They swirled softly before landing on the four girls and melting like snowflakes at their touch.

"And... and now?" Miyuki asked, really ill at ease.

"We just have to jump and float very slowly to the bottom," Tsukasa explained. It seemed that, for her, jumping was less fearsome than staying at the top.

But the others had obviously not the same opinion. Kagami turned pale green at this idea.

"Don't you guys trust my spell...?" Tsukasa asked, hurt by the lack of enthusiasm of her friends.

"Well, uh, how do we say...?" Kagami hesitated. "Y-you can never be sure, right?"

"In other words, you're not very reliable, Tsukasa," Konata said bluntly.

"O-oi, don't be harsh with my sister!" Kagami chastised.

"I merely translated your vague statement, Kagamin!" Konata laughed.

"And, Tsukasa-san, this very much clashes with the laws of nature," Miyuki stated.

"Hey, we're in a video game, aren't we?" Konata shrugged.

"Yeah," Kagami sighed. "The laws were broken a long time ago..."

"It'll work," Tsukasa reassured. "Just watch!"

And without further ado, the girl came near the edge of the platforms, closed her eyes tight and jumped. Shouts of fright and astonishment raised. But Tsukasa was gently falling, flying in wide circles, as if she was carried by a kind breeze.

"I guess we have no other choice..." Konata commented. "And it looks safe enough so... Let's go, girls!"

She grabbed her two friends by their hands and jumped too. The fear of the action was soon replaced by a wonderful feeling. It was as if she was flying! Konata took a nice, long side-glance at Kagami. Her lavander locks were floating around her face, dishevelled, and in her eyes was shining the incredulous excitement of what she was experiencing. Unconsciously, her fingers wrapped themsleves even tighter around Konata's. The blue-haired girl could feel her heart melting away with happiness.

But everything comes to an end, and they landed on the gymnasium's parquet with longing.

"That was awesome Tsukasa!" Konata shouted. "We should do it again sometime!"

"It would have been useful to cast this spell on the students we freed, to help them climb down," Kagami observed, matter-of-factly.

"Oh...." Tsukasa whispered, becoming as red as a lobster. "I didn't think about it at all..."

The key in one hand and the sword in the other, Konata went straight to the girls' changing room and signaled her friends to be ready. She turned the key in the lock and slammed the door. Nothing moved inside the room. The Warrior walked in cautiously, but amazingly, it seemed there wasn't any nasty creature waiting for them in the shadows.

"Come in, look at that!"

On the shelf of a half-opened locker was resting a beautiful crystal glowing with a red light.

* * *

Next to come : **Level 3 : The Canteen**


	4. Level 3 : The Canteen

Here's my little gift for Valentine's Day+1 (yeah, it's an important day too !). I hope you'll enjoy it.

* * *

**4-** **Level 3 : The Canteen**

Konata raised the crystal above her head.

"Now we just have to find the entry to the next level," she said with a broad smile.

"Kona-chan, look! Your armor seems to cover you better now," Tsukasa suddenly noticed. "Your shield is bigger, too!"

Konata checked for herself and seemed to grow even happier.

"You know what this means? We've leveled up again! Tatatata tata tatata!"

And, humming the Victory Fanfare, she marched out of the gymnasium. Her three friends followed her, rummaging respectively in their spell books, bags and bullet-belts to find the new tools they now had.

"The evening is already drawing in," Miyuki said resignedly.

"I hope our parents won't worry." Kagami sighed.

"Maybe they won't notice anything?" Tsukasa suggested shyly. "I mean, It's not really our world, so maybe the time doesn't work the same way."

"Maybe..." Kagami repeated, not really convinced.

Thanks to the growing darkness, it didn't take Konata long to notice a red glow, similar to the one of the crystal's. It was emanating from the door leading to the canteen, in the back of the main building. Again, she just had to press the crystal against the seal of light to make it disappear.

"Ladies, allow me to present to you the third level!" the otaku announced, entering the building.

"I hope it will be the last," Kagami said gloomily. "I don't find that funny anymo..."

The girl broke off, her mouth round of surprise. One of the wall of the dining hall's entry was entirely covered with mathematical formulas, gleaming with a soft blue light.

"What the heck is that?" Konata asked, horror-stricken.

"Mathematical formulas... They look like equations to solve. It should even be possible in one's head," Miyuki thought aloud.

"But.. but why would we do such a thing?" Konata cried out with indignation, as if Miyuki had just suggested something indecent.

"Izumi-san, haven't you noticed that those formulas have exactly the same glow as the lock and the key of the changing room?" Miyuki explained patiently. "It is most certainly a necessary step in our progress."

"You're right, it should be a riddle!"

Kagami's eyes suddenly began to shine with excitement. She put her gun on the floor and sat quite naturally in the middle of the corridor.

"What a shame, I left all my things in the classroom. We will need something to write with," she regretted.

Miyuki settled down beside her. Searching in her pockets, she finally pulled out a pencil.

"It should be enough," she estimated. "Watch, the formulas have been made difficult with square roots, logarithms and more, but the solution of each equation appears to be a rounded number!"

"Hmm, so we would get a sequence of rounded numbers, like... a code? And maybe we could convert it in letters?"

"I am sure it will work! Let's try!"

Konata and Tsukasa exchanged glances, feeling as though the were the most useless people on earth, at the moment.

"Maybe we should explore the zone first, before rushing on to solve a riddle that could turn out to be invalid, " Konata suggested.

But Miyuki and Kagami were too engrossed on their calculations to pay attention to her speech.

"Come on, Tsukasa. Let's go have a look around," the blue-haired girl decided, a bit hurt.

"Are you sure, Kona-chan? Isn't it too dangerous to just go for the two of us?"

"No worries! The _tank_ and the _healer_ are the soul of a party! Everyone else is secondary."

And so, leaving the "secondary" characters to their calculations, the two girls headed for the main room. As expected, several monsters were roaming aimlessly amongst the tables. Their appearance made Tsukasa freeze in horror.

"Oh my gosh, it's disgusting!" she exclaimed.

Konata inspected them with curiosity.

"You're right, they look like golems of... of food! Yucky, eh?" she said with a radiant smile. "But it's pretty normal in a canteen, don't you think?"

The little Warrior was aiming for the door which was leading to the rest of the building, where all the classrooms were. But to reach it, they would have to get rid of one of those golems.

"Are you ready, Tsukasa?" she questioned, drawing her sword.

"Huh? What? Now? Here?"

Considering her answer more than sufficient, Konata launched at the monsters.

"Protect!" Tsukasa shouted, suddenly remembering this important spell.

A blue bubble closed around Konata, strengthening her defense. And without further ado, she thrust her sword in the heap of entangled noodles forming the monster's chest. And the creature seemed to take it very badly.

* * *

"Aha, I told you it couldn't work with japanese!"

"Ahem."

"It was a good idea to try with romaji. Luckily it was in english and not in another obscure language."

"AHEM."

Coming back from their exploration, Konata and Tsukasa finally managed to catch their friends' attention. They were kneeling on the ground, surrounded by a sea of numbers and letters they had scribbled down straight on the tiles. Miyuki turned around.

"We have almost deciphered the enigma, we just have to transla... My Goodness, what happened to you, Izumi-san?"

"Did you splash around in a bowl of ramen, Konata?" Kagami added mockingly, seeing the unsavoury look of her friend, covered with crumbs of food.

"OK, I have two bad news," Konata said, irritated, the sword thrown on her shoulder. "Well... one of them is good news for you, I guess. First, the door leading to the classes is locked, and I don't think we can open it like we did until now, with a crystal, a key, or whatever... Secondly.... we can't fight without you two, or it lasts way too long."

Tsukasa let herself slip to the ground.

"I need to get back my magic points," she said breathlessly. "Kona-chan isn't really gifted when it comes to evading the hits."

Konata sat to take a rest, as well, but it didn't prevent her from protesting vigorously. Nothing could be more insulting than being considered "not really gifted" by Tsukasa.

"Konata, please, go back to the restroom and clean yourself," Kagami asked. "This smell of old leftovers isn't very pleasant."

Having her dignity greatly offended by part of an audience that wasn't paying attention to her in the first place, Konata stood on the few scraps left of her pride and went back into the playground.

When the girl came back, she was welcomed by Miyuki's and Kagami's triumphant smiles. They had just finished translating the riddle!

"I'm warning you, it is a bit odd," Miyuki said before beginning to read aloud.

_"The item you seek is well hidden,_

_behind a deadly, livid keeper._

_Through you'll be allowed to be_

_and nothing will hamper your progress_

_if, with your very hands prepared,_

_a chocolate cake you offer."_

Miyuki released a small cough, embarassed.

"A chocolate cake?" Konata echoed skeptically. "What's with this phoney riddle? Maybe the translation wasn't very accurate?"

"Hey, I'll have you know that I have A's in English, so I'm pretty sure that's what the riddle said," Kagami argued, indignant.

"And what is the item we're looking for?" Tsukasa asked. "The exit?"

Kagami and Miyuki shrugged as one. They had just translated the text, they hadn't invented it.

"Are you sure you didn't get it completly wrong?" Konata asked, narrowing her eyes in an accusing look.

"Feel free to search for another meaning, if you can do any better," Kagami said dryly, offering her the pencil.

Konata stepped back abruptly, as if one had put a snake under her nose.

"No, no, it's all right. I trust you," she said with eagerness. "Maybe we'll get the meaning of this if we explore the dining hall in a bit more detail?"

And so, they got ready to fight. In the hall, there were only three golems remaining. More energetic than ever, Konata was leaping over chairs and tables, finding that obstacles were making fights much more interesting. Kagami couldn't agree with that, after being nearly hit square in the face by a stool thrown on a monster with too much enthusiasm.

Once the creatures were killed and the students freed, reassured and escorted outside where they were left to their fate (after all, who ever cared about how the NPC saved in a dungeon make their way out safe and sound, and often... faster than the heroes), the girls searched through the dining hall, hoping for an exit, or even another enigma. But they found nothing.

"We must go to the other side," Konata finally said, pointing at the stands where the students were usually served.

They climbed over the counters and arrived in the wide kitchen. Here again, they had to clean the room of the monsters before being able to explore in detail. There were only two doors in the room. The first was the one of the cold room, and a quick glance was enough to notice there was nothing of value within.

Konata placed her hand on the handle of the second door, turned it, and opened it. Behind was standing a huge panther with two heads, chained. Planted on its strong legs, it welcomed the blue-haired girl with a deafening roar. In terror, Konata slammed the door and leaned against it, facing her friends.

"I... I think I get why the chocolate cake has to step in now," she said, her voice shaking a little.

White as a sheet, the other three nodded nervously, their eyes widened by the sight of the guardian's sharp fangs.

"You mean we have to start cooking? Now? Here?" Kagami asked, finding it wasn't really in line with their previous adventures.

"Don't worry Kagamin, I know you're hopeless in the kitchen. Miyuki-san and you can just help us gathering the ingredients and the utensils, then you can rest. Or look for another riddle if you want. Tsukasa and me will handle everything else. Won't we, Tsukasa? Tsukasa?"

Crouched, the girl was paralyzed, hands clenched on her ears and eyes tighly shut. Her lips were moving very fast on a silent mantra.

"Tsukasa!" Both Konata and Kagami shouted.

"Is... is it gone?" She asked weakly, squeezing one eye open.

"We can't say that, Tsukasa-san, but if we don't leave the kitchen, we will be safe," Miyuki comforted, offering her a helping hand.

"Yeah, just have to make a cake to soften it up, you know, nothing unusual," Kagami added negligently.

And so, it was done. Tsukasa and Konata pooled their memory to create a recipe. Miyuki and Kagami rummaged in the cupboards to bring them saucepans, baking tins, flour, eggs and everything they rendered useful to prepare a chocolate cake. When the cooks began to make the batter, they sent away their clumsy friends to search for another occupation.

Which they didn't find.

Sitting afar, her chin in the hand, Miyuki was watching their friends bustling about in front of the worktop. In a cloud of flour and batter's splashs, Tsukasa and Konata were talking joyfully, sharing the work.

"Tsukasa-san and Izumi-san get along very well, don't they?" she commented, short of conversational topics, leaning toward Kagami.

"Ah... yeah...yeah, of course!" The other girl answered with a strange feeling of awkwardness.

Miyuki smiled at her, bowing her head on the side. Feeling that something was bothering Kagami, she was expecting her friend to open her heart to her about it. But she didn't, and the twin-pigtailed girl retreated into a thoughtful silence, letting Miyuki alone with her boredom.

* * *

"It's ready to go in the oven!" Tsukasa finally anounced.

"While waiting, we might as well make something to eat. It's getting late and I'm starving," Konata added.

A bit more than one hour later, finally full and in possession of the "Ultimate Chocolate Cake Softener of Cats" as Konata was calling it, the girls were ready to meet the keeper.

Holding the cake with the two hands, the Warrior nodded to Kagami, who opened the door. The chained animal roared, and its two mouths stretched toward Konata. The girl threw them the pastry and stepped back cautiously. The heads caught it and gobbled it up in the twinkling of an eye. Within a moment, while the panther was licking its chops, nothing happened.

And suddenly, its two pairs of eyes turned from red to green and it started shaking. The quivers increased while its size was slowly shrinking. Shrinking to the size of a small cat, which ran away through the legs of the girls, astounded.

"Well done!" Konata congratulated. "That was great teamwork!"

What the guardian was protecting wasn't more than a small patch of corridor overlooking doors. The first one was leading to a small room which could be a restroom for the canteen's staff, the second door, allowing to reach the rest of the bulding, was locked. So they hadn't any other choice than looking in the restroom.

"Could you come and see that, please? I think I have found what we're here for," Miyuki called, waving a roll of parchment she had just found on a small table. It wasn't really well hidden.

Her three friends settled down around her when she was unrolling the sheet. Silence took over while they were trying to understand what they had under the eye.

"It looks like the sports field...."

"But what is this thing on it? It looks like a flying machine."

"Would it be the blueprint for a machine? Look, there's a list of elements drawn on the side, like... you know, the assemblage's plan of some furnitures."

"And there's a monster drawn beside each element..."

"OK, I'll summarize," Konata finally said. "We have to kill monsters on the sports field. With the elements they will give us, we'll build this flying machine which will take us... I have no idea where, we will have to keep our eyes open. I would bet on the roof of the building. But we will see tomorrow, it should be really late now."

Whith sighs of resignation, her friends agreed with the next day's schedule. But now, a good night of rest was necessary. Tsukasa who already went far beyond her usual bedtime, was dozing on her feet.

Conveniently stacked in a corner, several futons and blankets seemed to have been left here just for them. So, without more hesitation, the girls pushed away the table and the chairs to settle down for the night. Kagami had to put herself to bed her sister who had fallen asleep in the blankets.

When she finally laid down too, it was with a sigh of relief. However, even if her body was exhausted, her mind was way too excited to let her fall asleep easily. The memories of the day were madly swirling in her head. _Who knows?_ She thought. _Maybe tomorrow I'll wake up in my bed?_

By her side, someone else was too overexcited to sleep. Laying on her back, arms crossed behind her head, Konata was thinking about today's past events, as well. One in particular. When she was closing her eyes, she could hear again Kagami's voice shouting her name with fear, while she had found herself defenseless in front of an agressive bird. _"Konata! Konata! Hang on!"_. This memory was making her heart beat faster.

She heard Kagami sighing and moving next to her. Her friend was obviously no more asleep than herself.

"Say, Kagami..." she started with a hushed voice. "Have you had at least _some _fun since we began this journey?"

Kagami turned around to face Konata, surprised at the concern. She smiled, she might as well face the facts.

"I must confess that resolving this enigma with Miyuki was fun. And everything we've done, those fights... it was entertaining, it's true," she admitted, moving closer to Konata so that their whispers wouldn't wake up the others.

"That's great! I could make this kind of wish again if you'd like!"

Kagami laughed softly.

"Oh, no, next you're offered a wish, please don't include us in it. And above all, if you have a second chance, don't waste it like this one, ask for something useful."

"Something useful? Like what?"

The conversation was taking an interesting turn. Konata's curiosity was cut to the quick. A playful smile appeared on her lips. She stretched her hand toward Kagami and met a lock of silky hair that she grabbed.

"What would you have asked for, Kagami? Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!"

The blue-haired girl emphasized each of her words with a light tug, implying clearly that she wouldn't stop before having an answer.

"Shhh, stop it " Kagami protested in a breath. "There's a lot of important stuff I'd have think about. Like having a job I like, world peace, or finding..."

The girl stopped, embarassed. What was it that she was going so far as to confiding from Konata?

"Finding what? Finding what? Finding what?" Konata asked, more and more interested, starting again to pull on the lock of hairs she hadn't let go of.

"Finding... finding my soulmate, owning a pretty house, a big family, those kind of things," Kagami ended in a nearly inaudible whisper.

In the darkness, Konata smiled tenderly at the aspirations of her tsundere, so serious and so normal. And above all, she didn't fail to notice the wording of her sentence. She didn't specify a boyfriend or a husband. Just a soulmate. It wasn't much, but it was enough to raise her hopes even by a little bit.

"Go ahead, you can make fun of me now," Kagami grumbled.

"I won't, Kagamin," Konata whispered lovingly. "But you sure know how to waste a wish. All the things you said you wanted, you will get them, it's obvious. It's entirely up to you. And a little bit of luck. But I... I've offered us all a wonderful adventure that we could never have lived otherwise!"

Kagami didn't answer. She was way too flustered. Konata's unusual seriousness, the kindness in her last words and the trust implied, everything added to a less conscious perception of the proximity of their two bodies, of Konata's breath which was tickling her arm intermittently.... was rocking her in a completly new well-being. She opened her mouth to talk, but didn't know what to say.

Feeling this sudden vulnerability, Konata thought it was now or never. She got up on her elbow and leaned closer to her friend.

"Listen Kagami, there's something I..." she began.

But without knowing it, she had just crossed the limits to what Kagami could unconsciously accept. As if a veil was ripped, the girl felt with acuteness Konata's position above her, the odd tone of her voice and she panicked.

"Stop it, don't fool around like this," She broke out abruptly, moving back. "You know I don't like this kind of jokes. In the darkness, I can't see your face and I don't know what you're plotting."

Being rejected before even being able to say a word hurt Konata more than she could have ever thought. As if a defensive reflex was triggered, her voice became immediatly provoking.

"In the darkness? So Kagami would rather do it with the light on?" She said huskily in a thoughtless, tactless comeback.

That, though, was exactly what must have been avoided. Adding such a connotation to a situation which was already quite ambiguous shattered the apparent composure Kagami had managed to keep. She violently pushed Konata back.

"It's always the same with you!" she hissed furiously. "You always have to spoil everything with your nonsenses!"

And wrapping angrily in her blanket, Kagami turned her back on the little otaku and crawled closer to Tsukasa, whose peaceful breathing alone could have calmed down a whole army of gremlins.

Konata allowed herself to fall on the back and hit her forhead with her fist. Damn it, couldn't she shut her big mouth before crossing the boundaries? Her approach was going well so far, too, but now... she had to start all over again. Kagami was right, she had spoiled everything.

Though, suddenly, her eyes widened. Wait a minute.... spoiled what exactly? What did she mean?

* * *

The half point of this story is reached ! 4 chapters done, and 4 more to come (but the last ones are longer ;) )

Next to come : **Level 4 : The Sports Field **... and maybe more !


	5. Level 4 : The Sports Field

Have I already thanked you all for the reviews ? Yes ? Can I do it again ? Ok! Thank you, A LOT ! And, go for a weird chapter !

* * *

**5-** **Level 4 : From the Sports Field to the Roof**

"It suuuucks!" Konata exclaimed vehemently. "I can't believe we haven't gained a level at all! Where are my new abilities? There was really nothing to save in this rotten level!"

The daylight of this new morning was flowing generously in the playground of the high school. But it wasn't preventing Konata to yell out her annoyance at whomever would listen.

"Speak for yourself!" Kagami replied with a mocking smile. "I have a new accessory for my gun. It looks like a sighting telescope, I'm looking forward to using it!"

"I ,too, have obtained something new in my bag," Miyuki added. "I hope I will have the opportunity to use it this time. I wasn't able to attempt anything new in the canteen, since the monsters were really too weak."

"What!?"

Konata's indignation was palpable.

"You mean resolving a stupid riddle gives more experience than making the way to soften a monstrous seeker full of fangs?! Tsukasa, do you think that's normal?"

"Hmmm?"

Totally indifferent to the fact of having or not gained a level, Tsukasa was daydreaming without paying any attention to a word of what her friends were saying. Maybe a certain base-ball player that she met the day before was still on her mind?

"It's fair enough!" Kagami said. "In the previous level, I had the feeling I could shoot faster. Talk about something useful.... I already have to take care not to draw the monsters' attention on me."

"You are right. It is not something very useful." Miyuki nodded. "A capacity which would make you more stealthy would be more effective."

It wasn't like Konata to sulk for very long. And hearing her friends getting caught up enough to talk seriously about tactics contributed a lot to bringing back her smile.

* * *

The sports field was located behind the school, lower down. The area was crawling with giant insects, looking like beetles with iridescent shells coming in all the colours of the rainbow.

Konata analyzed the situation. Those beasts were really packed together.

"I'm afraid they'll all attack me if I'm coming too close. Kagami, can you _pull_ one please?"

"Can I what?"

"Attack one from afar and bring it here, to avoid all of them attacking us," the little Warrior explained patiently.

"Oh, I see now. It really is better when you talk with normal words," Kagami said, complying nevertheless.

The girl approached cautiously staying at the maximal range of her weapon. She shot, and the bullet hit the shell of the closest creature with a thud, being a sign of how uneffective her gun will be. The beetle turned around angrily and charged at the Gunner. Detecting the assault, two of the nearby insects followed.

Kagami started to run toward her friends.

"Oh crap, _link_!" Konata warned.

"What?"

But this time, no explanation was necessary. The herd instinct of those animals was strong enough to make them all attack when one of them was assaulted. So, the girls were seeing three giant beetles rushing toward them.

"Step back, step back!" Konata ordered, standing in front of her friends, her hands clenched on the hilt of her sword.

She had absolutely no idea how to handle the situation. But luckily, that was not the case for Miyuki, since the girl was already rummaging through her bag. Finally, her fingers closed on a glass globe. She took one step forward and threw it on the ground, behind the first beetle. The globe shattered into pieces and spread its contents. It was a thick and sticky liquid in which the two last insects get glued.

"Good job, Miyuki-san!" Konata shouted, not expecting this little trick.

"You should kill the first quickly." Miyuki said, readjusting her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "I don't know how much longer they'll remain immobile and I don't want to use up my stock too quickly."

Konata didn't have to be told twice. Drawing the first monster to her, she hit its shell with all her might. Kagami stepped on the right to avoid staying behind the Warrior. To adjust her shooting, she pressed her eye to the circular lens which was now on the barrel of her gun. The girl muffled a cry of surprise. The new device wasn't a sighting telescope at all...

"Konata, aim for the joints tying their legs to their body, it's their weak point!" she shouted.

With a light jump on the side, the otaku dodged a snap of mandibles. She was a bit surprised to hear Kagami shouting orders, but since the idea didn't seem stupid, she hit a joint. A promising crunching resounded. Konata started to hop all around the beetle, throwing targeted attacks each time an opening presented itself.

By dint of fury, several legs were starting to come off. Soon, the beetle lost its balance and couldn't move anymore. From then on, it was easy to kill it.

They followed quickly on the two others creatures, still glued. Once the technique was tamed, the fight grew simpler.

"Everybody has great ideas today!" Konata exclaimed, carried away.

Kagami answered with a wink, pointing at the lens.

"I've been a bit helped."

Now that the danger was diverted, they looked at what the insects left behind. There were a propeller, a plank and a gear.

"That's a start...." Konata commented. "Let's take all this junk and keep killing the monsters."

And so was done. They put down the material in pile next to the running track and returned their attention back to the beetles which were crawling everywhere. They were spoilt for the choice of the next target.

It turned out to be very difficult to pull them one by one, so Miyuki's glue worked wonders to handle their number. The girls were progressively getting rid of the insects, and behind them, the heap of material was growing little by little.

As the beetles' population diminished, they finally took notice of something in the middle of the sports field, a kind of big metal frame. When they had cleaned enough the surroundings, they were able to start building the strange machine without fearing being attacked. Miyuki acted as a supervisor and started to give instructions and suggestions with her soft voice.

"It is necessary to start by fixing the planks on the metal frame, in order to build a kind of floor," she explained.

"Fixing? How?"

"We got ropes, it should be enough."

"Watch out for your fingers, Tsukasa!"

"Here, Kagami, take this plank."

The purple haired girl came to unload Konata's arms from the big plank she was carrying. In so doing, their fingers brushed lightly against the other's. Kagami gave a start and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks. Konata didn't fail to notice it and was wonderfully surprised. Was such a reaction for a small contact absolutely incidental? That was new. She had to confirm it...

The odd machine was slowly taking shape. It wasn't looking like anything shown, but was still presenting a familiar resemblance with Miyuki's blueprint. And it was definitly the purpose here.

Konata was bustling around a big propeller.

"Kagami, can you help me please?" she called. "I need you to hold this thing, so I can fix it."

Konata's small hands had a hard time holding the body of the propeller agaist the frame of the machine. She enjoined her friend to hold it the same way. Kagami took it clumsily, trying unconsciously to avoid touching Konata. Bluntly, the blue haired girl grabbed the Gunner's hands to position them correctly around the propeller. Instantly, the girl became flustered and looked away.

"And try not to hit my fingers," she grumbled while Konata was grabbing the hammer.

The small otaku had trouble suppressing a triumphant smile. Now she was sure, Kagami was really becoming aware of something. Maybe the fiasco from the last night had its use, after all...

Since some parts were lacking, Miyuki, taking to heart her supervisor's role, sent her friends killing more insects until they had all the gears they needed. They were put together with care, and finally the machine was ready!

The four girls took the time in examining it with critical eyes. It was looking a lot like a raft with propellers. A bicycle frame was curiously standing out from the rear part. The drive was connected to the propellers and the handlebars was activating directional ailerons.

"This thing will never take off, will it?" Tsukasa asked nervously, hoping desperatly to be right.

"We have faultlessly followed the blueprint," Miyuki said. "I have checked several times. This machine should perfectly carry out the task for which it has been conceived."

"Now we have to choose a pilot," Konata said, pointing at the bicycle's saddle.

An awkward silence took over.

"If ever we're attacked while we are on this, I'll have to protect you," the Warrior added. "So I can't do it."

"If it's necessary, I can do it," Kagami sighed, resignedly.

"No way! It'll be very easy for you to shoot flying monsters. You can't. And Tsukasa will have to heal us."

Miyuki flinched.

"So, if I am right, the pilot can only be someone who doesn't take part to the fights and whose absence will go by unnoticed? Is it what you mean, Izumi-san?"

Her voice was as soft and composed as usual, but the reproach was perfectly perceptible.

"It's not like that, Miyuki-san!" Konata protested, flailing frantically her arms. "But this machine is a bit like your baby, without you we couldn't have built it correctly."

Kagami frowned at this words.

"This role suits you best! And you're the only one we all trust!"

Kagami's frown deepened.

Miyuki gave a faint smile, it didn't fool her, but her reasoning was kind.

"All right, I will be the pilot," she sighed.

Miyuki climbed on the floor of the machine, and sat on the saddle.

"Hurray for the most _moe_ captain of all the galaxy!" Konata shouted with enthusiasm, jumping aboard after her.

When everyone was installed, firmly clinging to anything, either being the guardrail or her sister's arm, Miyuki started to pedal. The propellers began to turn faster and faster. A jerk shook the machine, then another one, and finally, it took off.

Tsukasa moaned, clinging to her sister's neck, who despite of the reassuring pattings she was giving, wasn't less worried.

A new shake, more brutal, sent everyone rolling on the floor.

"I apologize!" Miyuki cried. "I was testing how the direction is working. But I have no clue to where we should head. I would really appreciate it if you could give me some instructions."

"Keep going higher, please, Miyuki-san," Konata answered, already back on her feet. "You can stay on the spot. Maybe if we gain some altitude, it'll be easier to spot a hint on our destination?"

So they started to scan all around them. A giant flashing red arrow floating in the air would have been more than welcomed.

"Danger at ten o'clock!" Konata suddenly claimed, a finger pointed.

"Huh?' Tsukasa said, checking her watch in alarm.

Konata face-palmed.

Creatures were starting to appear around their flying machine. They were looking like giant wasps, and their wings were vibrating in the air, giving a weird look to their flight.

Konata stood on her short legs at the middle of the machine. With fists at her hips, she said with authority:

"Kagami, if one of these bugs comes too close and seems as though it wants to attack, shoot it without hesitation! Tsukasa, stay in the middle so we can protect you. Miyuki-san, stay focus and keep on gaining heights!"

Kagami shook her head in disbelief.

_If only she had as much willpower to study_.... she mused, as her thoughts were beginning to drift away.

A very close buzzing brought her back to reality. She jumped back and shot the insect. Instantly, Konata was at her side.

"This way, NASTY MOSQUITO !" she shouted defiantly.

"Not your best insult there," Kagami remarked mischievously, but immediatly she became serious again and added, "We've got to aim for their wings and... err... they are weak against ice!"

"Hehe, for that we're lacking a sorcerer," Konata said.

In spite of that, the first wasp died pretty quickly. And this time, nothing appeared at its death. Disappointed, Konata pouted. The little Warrior noticed then a slash on her arm. She rubbed it with curiosity, having failed to notice she was hurt. Her sight became blurred for a moment and she staggered.

"Strange... I feel weird all of a sudden," she said woozily, bringing a hand to her chest.

Kagami rushed at her friend to hold her up. Her arms closed on Konata's waist just in time as she was falling to the ground.

"Konata, are you okay? What are those little green bubbles above your head?" She inquired, worried.

Looking concerned, she put a hand on her friend's forehead. It was burning.

"Green bubbles?" Konata answered with a weak laugh. "Oh, I get it now, I must be poisoned."

"You're poisoned? That's great!" Tsukasa exclaimed.

Three shocked pairs of eyes turned to look at the Priestess with an innocent smile plastered on the face.

"O-oh, no, not that way!" she sputtered nervously, waving her staff. "We've got an ... _Antidote _!"

The greenish glow on Konata's cheeks disappeared immediatly. Reluctantly, the little Warrior freed herself from Kagami's embrace, duty was calling.

"You can let me go now, I'm fine, " she reassured. "Thank you, Kagamin," she added, whispering so softly that her friend barely heared her.

"So... sorry!" the Gunner stammered. She stepped back uneasily, realizing she wasn't even conscious she was holding Konata so tightly.

"Heehee, that's awesome, I thought this spell would be useless as long as Onee-chan wasn't cooking. I'm glad I can use something new, you can keep on being poisoned if you want," Tsukasa said happily.

Konata mereley tittered.

"I owe you one, Tsukasa, thanks," she said, since nobody else had a clue of how to reply.

As for Tsukasa, she wasn't expecting any answer and began to hum, very pleased with herself.

But while she was replenishing the fighters' health points to the maximum, one of the wasps suddenly materialized in her back without warning. The insect crashed into the Priestess and nailed her down with a hit of its sharp sting in the shoulder. The girl moaned in pain before losing consciousness. The creature acted so fast that nobody had time to react.

"Oh no, Tsukasa!" Kagami screamed, rushing at her sister's side.

Konata lured the wasp toward her and launched a fast attack in its iridescent wings. None too pleased with this treatment, the insect roughly handled the little Warrior.

"Kagami, help me! There's nothing you can do for Tsukasa now!" she called with a pressing voice.

With the strength born of despair, the girl was compressing her sister's wound with a piece of cloth, teared off of her skirt. She was calling her name without respite. Lifting her head up, she saw that the same fate could reach Konata if she didn't help her. Her eyes widened in anxiety, they both needed her! She picked up her weapon wih a shaking hand and shot two times in the wasp's wing. Thrown off balance, the creature gave some breathing space to Konata.

"Kagami-san!" Miyuki called, distressed by her helplessness. "Look in my bag, there are some life potions in it. Have Tsukasa-san drink one!"

Kagami didn't have to be told twice. She rushed at the Alchemist's discarded bag, opened it... and stayed lost in front of the variety of vials inside.

"Which one is it, Miyuki?" she groaned, panicked.

"It is a square vial, with a red liquid inside, and a cork!"

After a succession of clinkings, Kagami found what she was looking for. Grabbing two potions, she went back near Tsukasa. She raised her head gently and, uncorking the vial with her teeth she emptied its content in her sister's throat.

With relief, she saw her eyelids flutter. Tsukasa emitted a small cough.

"Five more minutes, Onee-chan," she groaned, her voice hardly audible.

"Tsukasa, wake up, we need you NOW!" Kagami said, shaking her violently.

Without waiting for the result of this treatment, she flew to Konata's assistance. The numerous assaults of the wasp had brought her down on her knees. Kagami shot in the faceted eye of the creature.

"Drink that, Konata!" She shouted, throwing her the second potion.

And she opened fire without holding back. Konata caught the potion with her left hand and drank it while parrying a wasp's attack with the other.

Tsukasa finally stepped back into reality and, leaning on her staff, she was able to start healing again. Efficient once again, the small group finally managed to kill the monster.

Konata rushed toward Kagami and almost made the girl fall over.

"Great job Kagami~n! You saved us all! Such a willpower! Such self-control!"

The Gunner blushed abashedly.

"Oh, no, I didn't do much, and it was Miyuki's potions which saved us," she replied, rubbing the back of her head.

"Yes, Onee-chan! You were great!" Tsukasa added with praise, even if she missed three quarters of the action. "You saved my life!"

Konata nodded sententiously, a feline smile on the lips.

"Totally! I think you've deserved the title of 'Implacable Tsundere Guardian of the Weak'!"

"What?"

"Just kidding, Kagamin, just kidding. You'll end up harming yourself by switching poles so quickly."

"Whose fau... "

"Others wasps are heading our way!" Miyuki suddenly shouted.

The argument instantly forgotten, weapons were drawn to welcome the monsters.

In this second wave, the insects were smaller, but way more numerous.

"Kagami, now it's your move." Konata said with authority. "Just shoot to knock out as many as you can. I'm gonna handle the ones which manage to come too close."

Kagami nodded without a word. She stood on her legs and gripped tightly her gun with both hands. Konata came in front of her, a knee on the ground and her sword drawn. A gust blew suddenly, making their hair dance.

"Tsukasa, quick, your cell phone! Take a picture!" Konata shouted incongruously.

"I... I should have taken it? I left it in our classroom," Tsukasa answered sheepishly, fearing to have made a mistake.

The otaku could have cried. The picture they were forming was perfect! It would have done a great wall paper! The only thing to do would have been to retouch the background in a sunset.

Unaware of the need to do a photo session right now, Kagami aimed at her first target and shot. Without waiting to know what happened to it, she followed on a second wasp which was getting closer. Konata watched the first spun downwards and jumped to meet the second which she destroyed with a swing of her sword.

While the exterminating duet was successfully filling its duty, Tsukasa finally spotted what the poor Miyuki was hoping for since they had taken off.

"Yuki-chan! Look at the roof of the school! There's something shining, it looks like a landing runway for helicopters, or something like that."

"Thank you, Tsukasa-san," Miyuki whispered, more and more out of breath by the moment. "I was starting to dread the heights Izumi-san wanted me to reach."

"The roof! I knew it!" Konata claimed between two halves of wasp sliced by her care.

Foreseeing the end of her ordeal, Miyuki pedaled even harder and she started to take a bend toward the main building. The move manhandled the balance of the passengers but the meganekko was too much in a hurry to realize.

Higher in the air, one of the wasp noticed the pink spot immobile on the flying machine. Was it smarter than its counterparts or maybe was it just disliking pink? At any rate, it attacked.

Miyuki moaned when a searing pain pierced through her back.

Responding to the pilot's lose of control, the machine started to decrease in altitude.

"Protect Miyuki-san at all costs!" Konata cried. "Or we gonna crash!"

The Warrior went to the back of their boat to intercept the insect. Tsukasa, too, flew at her friend's assistance and sent her several healing spells. Feeling better, Miyuki was able to resume pedaling, interrupting their fall.

Kagami stayed alone facing the growing number of wasps around her. Getting rid of the closest, the girl decided to switch munitions. The three bullets she shot next flew toward the roof's railing. When they crashed into it, they opened as grapnels and fastened firmly on it. Each time, the Gunner tied the rope hanging from the grapnel along the railguard of their craft.

While Kagami was considering the worst in securing their machine against the fall, the situation was deteriorating at the rear. Emboldened by their buddy's example, more and more wasps were taking Miyuki as target. She was holding with all her might to the handlebars, focusing all her will to keep on pedaling in spite of the pain. Konata was doing her best to draw as many wasps as possible to her, while Tsukasa was exhausting herself by casting healing spells.

And all of that was done with the greatest difficulty to stand up, because of the many jolts shaking constantly the flying machine.

"There's too many of them!" Kagami shouted.

And all of a sudden, one insect violently pushed away by Konata's sword went crashing in one of the propellers. The outcome of this meeting was fatal for both. Pieces of wasps and propellers rained to the ground, about ten meters lower. Deprived of one of its hanging means, the flying machine immediatly tipped up on the right. Miyuki was thrown off the saddle and they all fell heavily. They only had time to grasp the guardrail before the craft started descend. With a big jolt, it was held by the ropes with which it had been fastened and banged against the wall of the building they were nearing. Several pieces didn't withsand the shock and teared themselves away from the machine.

The four girls were now hanging in mid-air, against the floor of the craft which was now totally upright.

"Feather Fall!" Tsukasa casted with a rare presence of mind.

"Climb up the ropes!" Kagami ordered. "We're not far from the roof!"

Hooked with a hand to the guardrail, she tried her best to balance her shots with the other to get rid of the closest wasps. Konata was the first to throw herself on one of the ropes. Her sword hanging in her back, she was climbing the faster she could. Tsukasa and Miyuki followed her example, protected by Kagami's shootings and Konata's taunts, three meters higher. At last, Kagami climbed the rope at her turn, after having hung her gun to her belt.

When they finally got together safe and sound on the roof, looking at their flying machine which was miserably dangling against the wall of the building, they couldn't help marvelling at how lightly they got off. They looked at each other, still panting, and broke out laughter. They did a really good job!

The insects seemed to have lost interest in them since they reached the roof, so they just had to find what they should do now that their goal was fulfilled.

"The door leading inside is open!" Konata called. She did not have to wait for long before snooping around everywhere.

And with a feline grin for her friends who were joining her, she added:

"I think it's the first time I've ever been so excited about going to school!"

And she pushed the door.

* * *

Next to come : **Level 5 : Through the Corridors**


	6. Level 5 : Through the Corridors

**6- Level 5 : Through ****the Corridors**

The door leading towards the roof slammed behind them. After a few steps, Konata began to wriggle, feeling an unusual weight in her back. She eventually turned round to inspect the object.

"Whoa, cool!" she exclaimed. "Just look at this!"

Smoothly, she drew the weapons from the two scabbards which were now on her back. She made a few sparrings, delighted to see that she somehow instinctly knew their drill.

"Hey, watch it!" Kagami protested, who was dodging her friend's careless swings while checking her belt.

It seemed there was something new for her too.

They climbed down the stairs to the beat of "Yeaaah!" "Take that!" "Woo-hoo, _Dual Wield_!" from Konata who wasn't getting tired of her new ability and weapon.

"Kona-chan, what is the spell of Mirror?" Tsukasa suddenly chirped, who was up until now engrossed in her spell book.

Konata stopped in a pose she would have described as totally cool, a glint lit up in her eyes.

"You got the spell of Mirror?"she asked with interest. "It's not easy to use, you know. It allows to reflect the spell hitting the receiver back to the sender, but it works just as well on the bad spells as on the good ones."

Tsukasa's look became misted by a lack of understanding she didn't dare to express. Miyuki flew to her assistance.

"It means you will not be able to heal the one protected by this spell, is that right, Izumi-san?"

Konata nodded.

"Exactly. It can reflect a fireball as well as a healing spell."

This explanation let the Priestess utterly nonplussed.

"Don't worry," her twin sister said to comfort her. "Until now, we haven't fought a monster that knows spells. If we're lucky, you won't ever have to use it."

Tsukasa nodded slowly, she wasn't sure if she should be feeling reassured or offended by these words.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, the girls entered the corridor cautiously. Who knew what horrors haunted the maze of a school?

After a few steps, a sound startled them. The door of the music room opened to reveal a figure.

Hands clenched on the weapons, ready to have at it, whatever it was.

When it closed the door, it became obvious it was humanoid.

The strain loosened and the girls impatiently drew closer, happy about not being the only human beings in the area.

A few more steps and the back-light was dispelled.

Konata swore. She should have identified this drawling walk and this cloying noise. Behind her, Tsukasa let out a cry of fear and disgust.

"Let's go again!" Konata urged. "Death to the zombie!"

And after uttering her battlecry, she rushed after the creature. Once she stopped, her friends positioned themselves behind her.

Quickly, Miyuki noticed with annoyance than all her tricks didn't seem to bother their opponent in the slightest. Powders and poisons slid on it as water off a duck's back, and with nearly the same effect. After Kagami had a quick glance at her lens, a satisfied smirk slowly crept on her face.

"So you're weak against fire, huh?" she whispered knowingly.

She drew in her cartridge belt a bullet ringed by a red mark and loaded it in her weapon. She shot. When the bullet made contact with the zombie, it exploded, badly harming the creature's rib cage. Flames danced for a moment on the wound's edges. Konata stepped back.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed, sending a quick wink Kagami's way. "That's new and nearly as cool as my two swords."

The Gunner smiled and she merely loaded her weapon again with the same type of ammo. Since Miyuki's enfeebling clearly had no effect, they knew they had to kill the creature fast, before it harmed Konata too much.

Three explosions and several swings later, the zombie shattered into shards. In the literal sense. It was like its exterior was tearing apart to allow a sharper view of...

- Yamanaka-sensei?

The music teacher blinked, dazed.

"Students... hanging around in the corridors... dressed up..." She stuttered in a reflex of authority.

But she didn't end her sentence, unable to understand why it was more making her hungry than giving her the will to punish. And the weird idea that their current location was the basement.

"… basement?" She repeated questioningly.

"Sensei? Are you feeling well?" Miyuki asked, a bit worried by her incoherent speech.

"I'm... not sure..."

"Sensei, you should go back to your home, you seem ill," Kagami expressed with concern.

"But we can't let her go by herself," Tsukasa whispered.

"Why not? We did that for every other student," Konata reminded nonchalantly.

"But we're coming from the roof, the lower floors aren't exactly safe."

As if to confirm this statement, a roar boomed, coming from a few classrooms further. It even seemed to them they could distinguish loud voices. Without hesitation, Konata began running to the source of the noise, leaving her friends no other choice but to follow her.

With a precise and mastered sliding, Konata stopped in front of the litterature club's room. She made the door slide in a vivacious move. And stayed astounded at the sight before her eyes.

In a tangled heap of knocked over tables and chairs, two people were fighting a zombie. The first one was clearly displaying she was a witch, with her long black dress and her pointy hat matching. Hat which was letting show long ginger locks. She waved her staff set with big multicoloured gems and shouted "Fireball!"

The second fighter was bouncing from tables to tables. She waited for the fireball's impact before jumping at the zombie, her claws showing and shouting "Fury!"

She was wearing a strange costume, streaked like a feline's coat and enhanced by large strips of fur. To complete the picture, cat's ears were pricking from her brown hairs and her hands were disappearing in two huge gloves shaped like paws, ended by sharp claws.

Finally, the zombie exploded, making room for an unsteady teacher.

"Okabe-sensei, now! There mustn't be many left!" The cat-girl shouted with enthusiasm, clapping her friend's hand.

"Only four left," the other girl replied softly, taking out a list on which she crossed a name.

And suddenly they realized they had spectators.

"Hiiragi! You're here, too? Talk about a rando--I mean, surprising!" The brown haired girl exclaimed, running towards them.

"And in good company, as always..." she added mostly to herself.

"Kusakabe, Minegishi, you too are mixed up in this absurd game?" Kagami questioned skeptically.

"Hello there!" Ayano greeted them in a friendly manner.

"We've been here since yesterday," Misao explained. "And we're having a lot of fun! And besides, we're nearly about done with our mission to save all the teachers!"

"Oh, you're on a quest?" Konata asked, a bit envious. "And what are you doing with the teachers you're freeing?"

With the thumb, the little otaku pointed at Yamanaka-sensei who had followed them and was now watching the scene with a vacant look.

"And one less," Ayano said, taking again her list out.

Misao's gaze settled down on Konata and her voice grew instantly colder than before. "We're locking them in the staff room. They're totally out of it. They keep on mumbling about the basement."

"Basement?" Okabe-sensei repeated with a greedy tone.

"Let's go right away. They're making me ill a tease," Ayano said.

So, the little party headed toward the lower floor. Misao came walking next to Kagami and started to talk with volubility, telling the difficulties they had to find the key of the staff room before asking the Gunner about her new abilities. All could now see that Misao's body was covered with bruises, scratches and various other marks. They could only appreciate the choice of weapon Tsukasa had done, well... the one Konata had done in her stead.

Used to it, Ayano and Misao made the two teachers enter the room. Inside, their colleagues were either wandering with a vacant look, or staring at the ceiling with interest. With one exception.

"Izumiiii!" A voice shouted. "Let me out, dammit! I want to have fun, too!"

The otaku's eyes widened at the sight of the blonde tornado rushing towards the door.

"Impossible, Sensei, the bad zombies don't become good heroes. You can't switch factions so easily, you should know that!" she hastened to answer before slamming the door shut.

Ayano locked it in a panic, just before a huge CRASH shook the wood of the door.

"Poor Sensei," Tsukasa said, feeling sorry for her.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Kagami finally asked.

"We have to free all the teachers, there's three left," Misao informed.

"We should have a look at the basement," Konata suggested. "There's certainly a reason if they keep repeating that like lobotomised idiots. You and Ayano can keep on looking for the teachers. We four gonna check the basement."

Misao's eyes shrank and she pouted.

"But maybe everyone doesn't want to follow your orders blindly. Maybe Hiiragi would better come with us than ploughing along with you in a dusty basement," she said with a warning tone.

Astounded, Kagami opened the mouth to answer.

"Err..." she started. _Nice articulation, me. Just brilliant... _

But Konata wasn't the kind to ignore a challenge.

"What would Kagami do in a lame party like yours, without a _tank_ or a _healer_? Take the blows instead of you?"

Misao was a bit irked, it was her chance to have Kagami to herself for a while, and she was not about to let go. "Have you ever thought that maybe Hiiragi wants a break from you?"

"Oh, really?" Konata's eyebrow twitched, but her feline-like grin stayed in place.

"Yah, really!" Misao countered fiercely, showing her tiny fang.

"Ahem, excuse me!" Kagami cut, exasperated by this childish argument. "_M__aybe _Kagami wants to have a say in this?" she noted in the third person to emphasize her point. "I do think that we should check what's hatching in the basement."

She immediately sent daggers at Konata's direction, dissuading her from any expression of self-praise.

"But you should come with us, maybe the last zombies are there. Or we'll find them on the way."

And that's what was decided, unanimously minus the ones who were sulking. They headed to the stairs leading to the lower floors. When they reached the first floor, they recognized a familiar shape in the corridor. Followed by a second one. Konata and Misao reacted at the same time, rushing to the closest zombie.

"This way, WALKING DECAY!" Konata shouted.

"No, this way, OLD PIECE OF RUBBISH!" Misao added even louder.

"Maybe it would be a better idea if each of you would handle a different zombie..." Miyuki suggested with a faltering voice.

But she was wasting her breath, the two girls were already fighting over the monster's attention.

"Warcry!" Misao claimed.

And immediatly, all felt their spirits rise.

"Minegishi, I'm sure that if we give it all we got we can kill the second one before it reaches us," she said. "By the way, they are weak against fire, that's the kind of detail which should interest you."

Ayano nodded resolutely and rolled up her long sleeves. Miyuki threw a globe of glue, just in case.

"Fire!" Kagami shouted.

Fireballs and explosive bullets flew toward the zombie. The creature reeled the blow, struggling to free itself from the glue, with all its might. Which was way too insufficient to give a result.

Time to reload, and the second volley was shot. A third was needed to finally destroy the zombie. In the mean time, Konata and Misao were still struggling with the first monster which didn't know towards which of its tormentor it should turn to.

"On second thought, their tactic seems to be surprisingly valid, " Miyuki observed with amusement.

"They don't seem to need our help at all," Kagami added, raising the barrel of her weapon.

"Hiiragi-chan, your sister, on the other hand...."

Indeed, poor Tsukasa had to constantly cast healing spells on the two fighters who were way too busy to show they were the one who could strike harder to think about parrying or dodging the hits. Seeing her sister becoming more and more scarlet and distraught, Kagami gave up on letting Misao and Konata to their own stupidity and loaded her gun with the explosive bullets she was starting to like a lot.

This time, with everyone taking part in the fight, the creature disappeared quickly.

"Konata, Kusakabe, bring them back to the staff room," Kagami ordered with authority, pointing at the math teacher and the nurse who were now standing in front of them. "While we keep going toward the basement."

Those words produced the expected results. The two girls opened their eyes wide.

"What? With her?"

"But... you need me!"

"Not in the least," Kagami answered coldly. "We've just realized we manage very well by ourselves, and that you don't pay too much attention to us anyway. Hurry, the faster you do it, the faster you'll join us again. Let's go, girls."

"Wait, Kagami~n!

"Ayano, Hiiragi, don't let me alone with her!"

But they were wasting their time, their friends were already walking away. Konata and Misao glanced at themselves with a deadly glare, _it's your fault!_ but they had no other choice but to obey.

"Maybe you were a bit too rough with them, Hiiragi-chan," Ayano whispered when they were at a safe distance away.

Kagami shook her head. "No, they are dangerous for everyone as long as they are bickering. We are a team, we must work together! What? What's the matter, Miyuki?"

During this small speech, Miyuki had looked at her, her head tilted on the side, a kind smile on her lips.

"Nothing Kagami-san!" she hastened to answer. "I was just thinking that in many ways, Izumi-san and you are a lot more alike than you think."

"No way! I'm not like Konata, there's no resemblance at all!" Kagami argued, offended. "Tsukasa, you do agree, don't you?"

The girl retreated behind Miyuki. "I- I wouldn't know, Onee-chan!"

Kagami was still mumbling when they reached the ground floor. The girls were a bit hesitant, the corridor which was stretching after the library was usually forbidden to students, and none of them were the kind to easily break the rules.

"I can see stairs going down," Miyuki noticed, the finger pointed. "It should be in that direction."

"What could be in the basement? I mean... when everything looks pretty normal..." Ayano asked, not willing to know what could this much pleased zombies.

"There is the boiler, I am sure of it." Miyuki answered. "What else? I'm not rightly certain, maybe old desks and chairs, or maintenance material."

The girls went down the stairs and stopped spontaneously when they discovered that the metal door which was leading to the basement was already open. Was it good or bad sign? Hard to say.

Kagami mustered all her courage, gripped firmly at her gun, and set an example by crossing the door.

It was very dark inside. They groped around for a switch for a while before realizing it wasn't working. Ayano opened her hand and a flame appeared in her palm.

"We must make do with that, I'm sorry," she said with am apologetic smile.

But nobody would have complained, it was a source of light, and it was welcomed with open arms. In its wavering light, the group started to advance. Feeling rather worried, the girls were huddling together around Ayano.

They could have been in any basement. On a simple concrete floor, various harmless items were piled up around them. Suddenly, as they were slowly gaining confidence, a stamping resounded. It was like the pounding of an infernal horde's hoofs, coming closer at full speed.

Petrified, they turned back with anxiety, ready to face whatever would spring from the darkness.

"Stay behind me!" Kagami ordered, stretching her arm, ready to fire.

And suddenly, in the circle of light protecting them, Konata and Misao stormed in, out of breath and pushing each other. They stopped dead at the end of Kagami's gun.

"Iiiiiih, Kagami, put your weapon down!" Konata begged. "I swear we've done what you asked!"

Relieved, the Gunner complied.

"You're so darn noisy that we thought you were the scary creatures," she scolded before turning around, letting Konata and Misao exchange a glance, not sure of how to take those words.

Once the team was one again a whole, the walk resumed. The girls were starting to distinguish faint lights from the furthest distance.

"Look! What's this?" Tsukasa asked, with a shaky voice.

"I am pretty sure there's no such things here usually," Miyuki answered, very ill at ease.

Actually, in the space opening in front of them, huge glass tanks were lining up, lit up by a few neons. Command units were standing next to each of them, all smashed down. The tanks too were shattered, and the girls realized they were walking amongst glass shards, mixed with a rest of viscous liquid most disgusting.

"I'd like to know what's happening here," Konata whispered.

She checked the cables and the pipes scattered on the ground, but wasn't able to come up with an explanation.

"Look, footprints!" Misao suddenly noted.

She pointed at several trails which were going away after having cross a pool of liquid.

"It look like several people were here. But I cannot say how many." Miyuki said, squinting up her eyes. "The prints are the one of shoes, not of bare feet like the zombies."

Misao crossed her arms with a sulky pout.

"It's not fun at all here. It's all dark and there's no monsters," she said. "I wanna fight!"

"Shhh, listen!"

Ayano suddenly brought a finger to her lips to beckon her friend into silence. Misao hadn't the time to take offense at it. Indeed, muffled sounds could be heard by those paying attention. Sounds of a battle.

"Let's go!" Konata and Misao shouted as one.

They started to run, immediatly followed by their friends who didn't want to stay in such a dreary place without their frontline.

Their running finally led them in a lighted place. And the scene let them all speechless. In a room lighted only by a simple bulb, a huge zombie, at least two times bigger than the ones they've already fought, was battling against four students. Students they were knowing very well.

On a crate, a smal girl with pink hairs was standing. She was wearing a green tunic with big pants matching. Around her head, she had a band adorned with a unicorn's horn. Above her, the silver shape of a majestic bird was floating.

"Spirit of Wind, could you attack, please?" she pleaded with a soft voice.

With a raucous cry, the animal complied and swept down on the zombie. The monster turned towards the bird.

"HEY, LOOK at ME !" A voice ordered.

The girl who just talked was clad in a white and shiny armor. She was brandishing a sword with a hand while the other one was holding a big shield which was protecting her. She was obviously doing her best to divert the creature away from her friends.

It was hard not to notice the third fighter. But could she really be called like that? Her body was entirely disappearing inside a giant plush costume. Vaguely looking like a sheep. And she was spinning around the zombie, dancing and singing _"For Real"_ with a piercing voice. As ridiculous as it seemed, the technique was effective, troubling their foe and slowing down its attacks.

A fourth member was completing the team. Dressed in black, she was standing behind the zombie. A scarf was holding her hairs and the only visible feature from her face was her big pair of glasses. Between her index and her middle finger, she produced a piece of paper, folded in a complex manner. In a swift movement, she threw it on the zombie. At its contact, a crackling could be heard and smoke emerged from the impact. The zombie growled and turned toward the little ninja.

"I said THIS WAY!" The armored girl ordered, and she slammed her embroidered shield in the ribs of the creature.

The zombie was starting to stagger. The girls strove doubly hard and finally got rid of it.

Applause rang to salute their achievement. The four girls turned around, astounded.

"S-senpai?"

Ignoring the others, Konata rushed at her cousin.

"Yuu-chan, are you okay? You hurt?" she inquired, worried.

"I'm fine, don't worry, Onee-chan," she answered. "Minami-chan was awesome, she had protected us all! What a surprise to see you all here!"

Fists on her hips, the little Warrior nodded and let her gaze wander on the first years.

"We share the surprise! Your fight was very impressive. Minami as a Paladin? It fits you really well. I bet you hadn't let any monster touch a hair on Yuu-chan's head, right? Yuu-chan who is a kind of... Summoner it seems. Very classy. Hiyorin is a ninja, hmmm... why not, it's not something I'd have imagined. As for you Patty... I don't get it at all..."

"There's nothing to get!" she said, overexcited and out of breath. "I just touched this bell and WHAM, I found myself in this suit! I knew Japan was an amazing country, but I never thought it was THIS awesome!

Looking at the bell Patty was shaking to punctuate each of her sentences, Tsukasa couldn't help but think she had come close to disaster. Konata had not been far to give her the bell instead of the Priestess' staff.

Without caring at all about the man who was standing, dazed, in the middle of the room, the girls were all talking in the same time. What happened? What were they doing here?

When the excitement of reunion cooled down, Hiyori explained that when they had fought their firsts battles, and freed the first students, they had quickly noticed the monsters were all coming from the basement. When they had finally obtained the keys, they rushed there to discover that it was in this very place than the students were brought by the zombies to be turned into monsters in huge glass tanks!

"The scenario seems to come from a very bad Z-movie," She concluded. "But now that we have defeated the boss of the zombies, I think we'll soon understand everything."

"And the head zombie is... the caretaker. Funny," Konata said, recognizing the man.

Sadly, he hadn't much more to say than the teachers they had already freed. However, he was wearing around his neck a big key glowing with a blue light. Conscientious, Ayano crossed the last name on the list. Konata snatched the key, barely noticing the slight gesture of protest the caretaker gave.

"Headmaster's office," she read aloud on the label tied on it.

Konata lifted her head and looked at her friends gathered around her.

"The last step is waiting for us up there," she declared. "Are you ready to root up the Evil?"

The girl made do with the three shouts of enthusiasm she got in response, and she led the way to go back to the light.

* * *

Next to come : **The Final Boss**. Tada !


	7. The Final Boss

Sorry sorry for being so late. Blame it on FFXIII ! (and on various othe games...). I hope this chapter is worth the wait.

* * *

**7-** **The Final Boss**

Everyone knew where the headmaster's office was. But the simple fact of mentioning these words was always impressing. Maybe that was the reason why none of the ten girls gathered in the corridors had dared to come near the door.

"Come on, it's ridiculous! We won't stay here all the day!" Konata suddenly said. "It was a good idea to explain our abilities to each other, but now you can't find another excuse to delay anymore."

She brought the key near the door, and brushed the lock. The girls were all holding their breaths behind her. Suddenly, the blue-haired girl scowled, hit by a realization. She straightened up briskly.

"Buuut... if you still have things to say, go on!" she urged. "I have to talk about strategy with Kagami. We won't be long."

Konata grabbed the wrist of an astounded Kagami and she decamped in the corridor, dragging her along.

"But, Izumi-san, wouldn't a strategy be more effective if everyone knows it?" Miyuki objected.

But her voice died down, as Konata was already far away. Failing to understand which game Konata was playing, the girls shared puzzled gazes, while Hiyori's eyes were profusely widening.

Ignoring her friends' various reactions, Konata was running to the beat of the pounding of her heart. She stopped after the first bend of the corridor, they were now out of the others' sight. She pushed Kagami against the wall.

"Konata, dammit! What the heck are you..." she began, furious at this treatment.

Konata leaned her left hand against the wall, nearly brushing her friend.

"Kagami," she interrupted with an insistent voice. "You know what's behind this door, don't you?"

Lack of comprehension clouded Kagami's face, but Konata's voice was pressant enough to intrigue her.

"I suppose it's the final boss, or something like that," she answered. "But what..."

"And do you know what that means?" Konata interrupted again.

"Pro-probably that if we get rid of it, the game will be over and maybe we'll be able to return home," the girl opinioned, not knowing why she was subjecting herself to this weird questioning.

Konata's face grew more and more tense.

"And when we'll be back to our everyday lives, and our daily and boring routines, there's nothing you'll regret? Here, we're totally free, far from other people's sight, doesn't it... inspire you or something?"

Kagami was starting to feel really hot. The impatience she expressed was the only defense remaining to her against the whirlpool of feelings dancing in her chest.

_Why, oh, why does she always feel the need to cling to me to talk ? Oh, and her hand is so close to my arm... What should I do, why is she so serious?_

"I-I don't understand what you're getting at, Konata," Kagami said with irritation. "It's true that those two days have been fun and exceptional, but it couldn't last forever. We have to go back to reality. Same goes for the holidays, it's sad when it ends, but one keeps the memory of it, and one talks about it with fondness later."

Konata shrugged sadly.

"I'd like to be sure to remember this adventure. But who knows? Maybe we're going to wake up thinking it's only a dream and forget it the same way."

The little otaku was exagerating a bit, to make her speech more dramatic. It was possible, but she wasn't really believing it. But Kagami got caught up in it. Her eyes widened, she hadn't thought of it.

"I-I don't want to forget..." she whispered, turning her head away.

Considering the possibility to forget was suddenly immensely painful. The girl was already cherishing the moments spent together, everything they achieved and the new bond born between them four... No, she had to be honest... between them two... only between them two. And that was what made her suffer. When she realized this, an embarrassing redness shrouded her cheeks.

Konata's heart beatings raced, as it often did when Kagami softened this way. She couldn't take it anymore. She considered she had let her friend enough time to free herself if she wanted.

Her face was suddenly filled with a softness she was rarely showed and she whispered:

"If we won't ever forget anything, you'll have to forgive me for that, Kagamin."

Her right hand closed on Kagami's arm and, standing up on her tiptoes, she pressed her lips onto hers.

Breathless, Kagami leaned against the wall, eyes bulging. Her weapon fell down with a loud crash. Instantly, it was like her brain was exploding, letting out a thousand of little Kagamis who all gave their opinion loudly in one second.

_"B-but what is she doing?" _

_"Her lips are so soft..." _

_"Don't let her do what she wants!" _

_"Dare to say you weren't dying to do it!" _

_"My first kiss, I would have never thought..." _

_"But she really should have..." _

_"What? Sent you a notifying letter first?" _

_"Shut up and just kiss her back!"_

Renouncing to struggle anymore, Kagami enveloped her arms around Konata. Suddenly, it seemed she had found the easiest of the answers to the uneasiness within her for several months. It was so obvious after all, how could she have averted her gaze for so long?

Feeling Kagami kissing her back, Konata was overjoyed and became even bolder. Her hands glided to her friend's waist, around which they wrapped to hold her tighter. Her lips parted. Their tongues brushed shyly against one other before becoming more and more confident.

After long minutes, their lips parted away, letting their eyes dive in each other's gaze. Kagami blushed again. Konata flashed her a radiant smile.

"Do you think we gonna get an xp bonus for that?"

Kagami scowled dangerously.

* * *

"Don't worry, Yutaka, they'll come back," Minami said reassuringly.

"Thank you, Minami-chan," Yutaka replied, clinging to her friend's arm. "But it's starting to be long, I hope nothing happened to them."

Around them, the other girls were sitting on the floor, waiting for their leader's return.

Finally, Konata and Kagami reappeared, not so dishevelled and keeping a calculated distance between them.

"Sorry, sorry! Maybe we've taken a bit longer than planned!" Konata apologized, without seeming remorseful in the least. "What happened, Hiyorin? You're scarlet. Is everything all right?"

The artist could only nod frantically, hoping than the movement would chase away the new pictures which were burning into her mind.

"I hope they came up with an iron strategy, seeing the time they've taken..." Misao grumbled in her corner, getting as reward a reproving tap from Ayano.

Watching the two girls coming back, Tsukasa couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. She had seen them so many times together that she could only notice that this time, something was different. She looked curiously at her sister before tugging at her skirt and whispering:

"Are you okay, Onee-chan?"

Kagami jumped, as if caught in the act.

"Huh? Yeah, of course, I'm okay, why do you ask?" she exclaimed, immediatly on the defensive.

Tsukasa moved back wisely, hands up as a sign of surrender.

"No-nothing, I'm sorry. I just have had the feeling that you weren't the same as usual."

"Of course I'm not! There's probably a very tough monster waiting for us behind this door, and it's actually not happening every day!"

_Since when was Tsukasa able to tell those kind of things_? Kagami felt rather crossed to be so transparent in her sister's eyes.

Once again, Konata approached the door of the headmaster's office. She looked at the girls gathered behind her, one by one, before shouting with enthusiasm:

"Are you ready to wage the most incredible fight of your life? Ready to use your powers to fullest?"

Nervous nods answered the otaku's question.

_Here it is. The game regained the upper hand, she has already forgotten about me,_ Kagami couldn't help thinking, a bit disheartened. As if she was reading her mind, Konata met her eyes and during one second, her smile was only for her. Kagami was so childishly happy that she was nearly ashamed.

The key turned into the lock and the door opened wide, as of its own will. The girls entered the office with hesitation. The headmaster was sitting at his desk, immobile. His hands gathered in front of his face, he was staring at them with eagle's eyes.

"Of course, students enter without knocking nowadays," he commented. "As if it wasn't enough that you are still free to do what you like and... in your original shape."

He violently slammed his palms on the desk.

"If you want a task to be fulfilled correctly, do it yourself! I'm surrounded by incompetents!"

"Allow me to say, Sir," Konata interrupted. "Zombies have never made a very skilled staff."

The headmaster stood up, straight in his dark blue suit. Hiyori mentally prepared herself to take notes. It was obviously the moment when the bad guy explained his diabolic plan. And as much of a dead duck it seemed to be, any inspiration was worth taking.

"Quite the opposite, if I hadn't turned them into zombies, they would have never obeyed. I couldn't stand all these students anymore. Crawling, bawling, thinking about everything but studies. I must admit that I've enjoyed myself a lot, watching them swarming around as disgusting monsters."

And he burst out laughing while his mad eyes rolled in his sockets. Hiyori pouted, disapointed. The laugh was a real success, but everything else failed to come up to expectations.

"Besides, I don't appreciate your efforts to reduce my hard work to nothing. I guess I couldn't expect anything else from you, pitiful maggots. So I will personnally deal with your case!"

The headmaster began to rise in the air.

"Time to get serious, at last!" Konata mumbled.

The girl drew her swords and crossed them in front of her, cautiously waiting. The headmaster was still ascending. His black hair suddenly started to grow while his boring suit began to change shape, overloading with leather, straps and belts and letting now appear his pectorals.

Approving whispers greeted this transformation. This appearance was much more suitable for a final boss. Patty and Hiyori looked at each other, nodding. They could only appreciate this change of design.

With a crack, bronze wings sprang out of his back and spread about him, like a mechanical halo. Two small ovoid satellites untied from the wings and started to turn around the headmaster, while a huge spear of light appeared in his hands. This time, the transformation was over! And Konata reacted immediatly.

"Minami, you're in charge of the headmaster! Keep him busy, and we handle the rest. Misao and I are taking one of the flying things each!"

Misao opened her mouth to protest that she wasn't taking orders from a midget, but Ayano pushed her forward with a supporting cry.

And so the three girls dashed, and drew their targets to them.

"Everyone, focus on Kusakabe's satellite," Kagami shouted, considering she was the least defensive of the three warriors. "We must kill one as fast as we can."

The girls settled in their positions.

"The satellites are weak against Lightning!" the Gunner added after a glance through her lens. "But avoid Water at all cost."

Patty began to dance wildly around the fighters, punctuating her steps with vaguely musical squeaks. Hiyori chose carefully one of her scraps of paper on which was splashed the kanji meaning "lightning."

"Raiton!" she shouted, throwing it when she was sure the machine's attention was all on Misao.

From behind, Miyuki was throwing her powders and poisons directly at the headmaster, having quickly noticed that they were totally useless on machines like the satellites. By her side, Tsukasa was standing ready, and that was something. While Kagami was choosing an electrifying bullet ringed of purple, Ayano was starting to cast a spell of Thunder.

As she was keeping the second satellite busy, Konata saw out of the corner of her eye the etheral shape of a giant ray attacking the headmaster.

"Yuu-chan!" she called. "Better help Misao and the others, I'm sure Minami will be fine by herself."

"But... Onee-chan..." Yutaka protested faintly, turning pink in embarrassement.

"I'm fine," Minami said calmly, parrying with her shield the hit of a spear which should have impaled her through.

Yutaka sighed sadly and asked the spirit to switch targets. It attacked the satellite when an electrical apocalypse fell down on it, but the annoying little thing survived.

"Warcry! Fury!" Misao shouted, deciding to kill it.

But her next attack only hit empty space. Indeed, the headmaster had brandished his spear and shouted "Triblaster!" The two satellites had risen and started to flash. Each one shot a laser which reached the tip of the spear. At this point, the light became blinding. Springing from the spear, a wide ray of light hit Minami right in the chest. The girl fell heavily on the ground.

"Minami-chan!" Yutaka shouted, panicking.

She dismissed the ray with a wave of the hand and called upon the water dragon. The noble creature appeared with a geyser's sound, surrounding the Summoner with its supple and scaly coils.

"Spring Water!" the girl summoned.

The spirit leapt into the air and started to wheel around the fighters. A twinkling rain landed on them. Immediatly, the girls felt their wounds healing.

In spite of the violence of the shock and of the pain throbbing in her chest, Minami had managed to roll onto her side to avoid the next hit, which would have killed her. When the regenerative rain reached her, she got up immediately, full of a new strength. Only her hauberk was testifying of the power of the blow she had suffered.

"Am... am I totally useless now?" Tsukasa stammered, watching the effectiveness of the dragon's move.

"Oh no! Not at all!" Yutaka protested, embarassed to have hurt the Priestess. "I can't do it very often, and it takes long to summon, you're way more reactive!"

Nobody heared the gurgling Konata made. She was choking, trying hard not to laugh. It was not every day you could heard Tsukasa being called "reactive".

To protect themselves, the satellites were using small lasers whose burns were particularly painful. Misao's skin was covered in them. When they were healed, a carnivorous smile spread on the girl's lips. This time, she would end this!

A Misao in berserk mode wasn't an opponent pleasant to confront. She was a real whirlwind of claws, bouncing randomly and totally unpredictably. Even if the small size of the satellite was protecting it a bit against this technique, it didn't survive very long. After a last scratch, buckled and blackened metal scraps fell down on the ground like a clinking rain.

"Finish Konata's now!" Kagami ordered, without even noticing the authority in her voice.

Even if with two swords, repelling the lasers was easier than with Misao's claws, Konata wasn't showing off while facing her opponent, and Yutaka's healing wave hadn't been useless for her.

Very motivated by their first foe's fall, the girls prepared their most powerful electrical attack to eliminate the second one as soon as possible. Konata welcomed the reinforcements with joy. Hiyori's ninjutsu reached the satellite first, followed close by Kagami's electrifying bullet and Ayano's Thunder spell. When the sparks and the electric arcs vanished, the satellite emitted some bips of contentement and Konata saw the cracks she had already inflicted on the metal shell healing up completely.

"What are you doing! You're healing it!" she shouted, furious.

"Impossible!" Kagami protested. "Satellites are weak against Lightning. They're absorbing Water."

To suit the action to the word, she pressed her eyes on the lens... and swore loudly.

"It's the opposite for this one! It's weak against Water!"

Disppointed mutterings rose as the girls adjusted their attacks according to this fact. Kagami was feeling really guilty, she hadn't thought about checking the weakness of the second satellite, and now they had to start all over again...

Tsukasa had already understood this, and she was worried. Fights dragging on are never a good thing for healers. She had already healed Konata and Misao a lot. Minami a bit, too, even if she was capable of healing herself.

"Yuki-chan," she whispered. "I've already used a lot of magic and we're far from the end. I don't know what I'll do..."

Miyuki nodded gravely and started to rummage through her bag. She drew out of it a chubby phial, full of a blue liquid, and gave it to Tsukasa.

"This is an ether," she explained with a conspiracy-like tone. "If you drink it, your magic will be replenished. But I have only one, so choose the moment carefully."

Tsukasa buried cautiously the phial in her pocket, aware of the small thing's value.

During the same time, her friends hounded the last satellites, in a hurry to get it over with. Water spells, flooding bullets and ninjutsu were literally raining upon it. Hiyori, Konata and Misao, who were fighting very close to a small target, had trouble not getting in each other's way.

And the three of them needed cures, as Tsukasa noted quickly when she turned her attention back to the fight. Even Hiyori wasn't spared, though she was trying to be discreet, unlike the others.

Minami was still managing to hold valiantly to the headmaster, but her armor was more and more damaged and her shield was starting to buckle on the spear's blows. Her face, usually impassive, was tensing up, and it was not a good sign for those who knew her well.

By dint of perseverance, Hiyori managed to drive one of her small katana in one of the cracks the numerous blows had made reappear on the metal shell of the satellite. In spite of the frantic movements of the little thing, the girl successfully held on the hilt of her weapon, and with a swift move, she inserted the blade of the second next to to the first. An unhealthy glint shone on her glasses while her lips stretched into a victorious smile.

Hiyori leaned on her katanas with all her might, moving apart the crack's edges. With an atrocious creaking, the satellite tore slowly into two halves which fell on the ground, spraying everyone with gearwheels and various small parts. Konata watched the fall with a pout, as if she was disappointed not being the cause of it.

"Good job, Hiyorin!" she said nevertheless, thumbs up. "And now... attack the headmaster full-on!"

His eyes blazed with anger.

"Don't think it's already over..." he hissed.

His metal wings disappeared, instantly replaced by filaments of pulsing light.

"Oh, oh," Konata whispered. " Second form..."

Ayano let herself slide against one of the office's wall and stayed sitting on the ground.

"I'm sorry," she said to whomever bothered to hear. "I must rest, I don't have anymore magic. I think I've overused it a bit on the satellites..."

The girl smiled in apology. Hearing her, Tsukasa dug her hand in her pocket, hesitant. Her fingers stroked the vial of ether, but her gaze met Miyuki's who shook her head slightly. _No_. For the Alchemist, it was obvious that the party could more easily do without Ayano's powers for a while, than without Tsukasa's.

Resolute in not making the same mistake twice, Kagami looked immediatly in her lens.

"So, his weak points are..." she announced.

After a short embarrassed pause, she ended with annoyance:

"… nothing, he doesn't have any..."

At the same time, with a single swing of his spear, the headmaster parried or turned away katanas, swords and claws.

"It's my turn now!" he said with a demented smile. "Fire Storm!"

"Watch out!" Konata shouted. "Move!"

But except for the ones who were already standing back, none of the girls had the time to run out of range. Fireballs rained all around the headmaster. Konata, Misao, Hiyori, Patty and Minami cried in pain when the tongues of fire licked their skin. Panic-stricken, Tsukasa casted the last healing spells she could and hurriedly took the ether out of her pocket. She gulped it without taking time to wonder how it could taste.

Thanks to the water dragon she had kept summoned instead of the electrical ray to fight the second satellite, Yutaka was able to help the Priestess with her "Spring Water."

Unfortunatly, the headmaster didn't stop. Even before the fighters were able to come back, he shouted, "Icing Blizzard!"

The girls had only time to freeze on the spot, protecting their faces with their arms, before an ice storm fell on them. The feeling of the the ice shards tearing their skin was awful. As soon as the blizzard dispersed, Tsukasa hastened to fill everyone's life points to the maximum. This time, Yutaka wasn't able to help her, she couldn't use the Spring Water so fast.

"Let's see how many times you can last!" The headmaster challenged. "Divine Bolt!"

Tsukasa began to despair. At this rate she could never keep her friends alive! But suddenly, she remembered...

"Minami-chan, Mirror! Kona..."

ZZAAAM! The Priestess hadn't the time to continue on, lightning bolts fell down on the ground everywhere. All the ones which struck Minami were immediatly reflected on the headmaster himself. He roared in anger, as if his opponents had just resorted to the most despicable act.

The only one unharmed amongst her blackened and electrify-haired friends, Minami, very embarassed not having received her share of damages, did her best to help Tsukasa in healing everyone.

Not wanting to taste his own spells again, the headmaster brandished his spear and attacked Minami. The violence of his blows were showing how exasperated he was. Minami couldn't parry or evade them all. A bit too mauled, the girl raised her arms above her head and shouted:

"Heal!"

"Uh-oh..." Konata anticipated worriedly.

And she was right. As soon as the white sparkles of the healing spell touched her body protected by _Mirror_, they were scattered in all directions. Being so close of her, the headmaster received some of them.

"Thank you, that's very kind of you," he mocked, licking his lips.

Minami received it badly. If nobody could heal her anymore, she couldn't deal with it for much longer. Tsukasa turned very white.

"Oh no... I've made a mistake, haven't I ?" she said weakly.

"You've made him cease using spells," Miyuki answered firmly. "And that's a positive thing."

The Alchemist took something in her bag and started to run towards the fight.

"Yuki-chan?"

Minami heard a whisper in her back.

"Iwasaki-san, for you..."

And while Konata was drawing the headmaster towards her with her now famous Konata Thunder Spinning Slash to give her breathing space, Minami turned around to see Miyuki slipping a phial in her hand.

"Healing potion," she explained briefly before running away.

Minami drank the potion and tried to get back the headmaster's attention. But more and more often, he was turning away from her to randomly hit Konata, Misao or Hiyori. And suddenly, as if he was becoming aware of Patty's presence, who was still dancing around him, he regarded her with a deadly glance.

"Someone has to make her shut up, these squeals are insufferable!" he complained.

And before anyone could act, the spear flew toward the blonde and pierced through her flank. Patty shouted in pain and fell down, her hands clasped over her wound.

"Patty!" Hiyori shrieked, horrified and alarmed.

With Patty down and out, the girl instantly felt the weight of a great weariness falling upon their shoulders. Minami, who suffered the most, staggered, while Konata kneeled briefly and Misao spat a bloody spurt.

Miyuki was already near Patty, one of her last healing potions in hand.

_We must end this at all costs_, Kagami thought, watching the fight spin out of control. She wiped her sweat-ridden brows and loaded her weapon with a new bullet. She was going to push her shooting pace more than she could.

Her vision becoming blurry, Minami weighed up badly the next blow and was hit right in the chest. A scarlet-faced Tsukasa casted her last spells on her, but even once the pain of her wounds soothed, the girl was unable to get up, pinned down by exhaustion and the weight of her armour.

Seeing how critical the situation was, Ayano had get up to cast her most powerful spells. She had understood too that the fight had to end as soon possible.

The Paladin defeated, the headmaster looked around for a new target. He spotted it quickly in the form of a dishevelled Gunner, whose continual shooting seemed to him the most urgent danger to eradicate. Without warning, he rushed toward her at high speed.

Kagami had only the time to open her eyes wide in fear before the blow hit her in the face. Minami got up, Konata, Hiyori and Misao were running to catch up with their opponent, at a pace which seemed to them infinitely slow.

The violence of the blow had hurled Kagami against the wall on which she had half knocked herself out. The headmaster raised his arm, savouring his power.

"KAGAMIIII!" Konata shouted at seeing this move. "Tsukasa, heal her!"

The Priestess was on the verge of tears.

"I... I can't anymore. Oh my gawd, Onee-chan..."

Her voice broke. She was jostled by a pink-haired whirlwind, holding a potion. Thrown off balance for having nearly knocked down Tsukasa, Miyuki caught herself in time, but bending her path, she was hit by a running Misao right in the ribs. The meganekko fell flat, letting go of her last potion, which went crashing onto the ground. She let out a small cry of distress, watching the precious liquid spill all over the floor.

A second time, the spear hit, sending the Gunner into unconsciousness.

"KAGAMI! KAGAMI!"

Konata's voice became hysterical when she saw Kagami's body collapsing, lifeless.

"I will get rid of this one for good, and you'll be the next!" The headmaster said triumphantly, brandishing his spear a third time.

And he struck with all his might. The next second, the spear was blocked by the crossed blades of two swords. Konata was standing between them, bracing herself with all her strenght to repel the blow. The headmaster's eyes met Konata's, burning with an insane rage.

"You're... going to... pay..." Konata hissed. "Konata Ultimate Blow of Death!"

Brutally releasing the pressure she was exerting on the spear, the girl jumped, twirled in the air and stabbed her opponenent with a dozen blows before landing.

"He is way more wounded than he lets on!" Konata said. "Kill him!"

Now she was clearly seeing the marks their weapons, bullets and spells had left on him. Jaws clenched with a resolved look, Misao and Hiyori stabbed their weapons with all their might in the headmaster's back, while Konata was attacking him without respite, as if tiredness hadn't ever held her over.

Answering to Yutaka's imploring call, four spirits materialized at the same time. A Dragon, ray, phoenix and giant bird swept over the headmaster without mercy. Suffering so many furious attacks, he couldn't keep floating and his feet touched the ground. All signs of over-confidence had vanished from his face, which was now contorted in anger. Konata was pressing him so much he couldn't even counterattack.

Finally, with a defeaning crash, a huge fire ball engulfed him. The fighters had just the time to step back before the headmaster fell flat at their feet. Konata stayed still for a moment, her swords raised, in case he would stand up again for a third transformation.

It was not the case.

The spirits vanished like soap bubbles, while Yutaka was falling on her knees, pallid. Instantly, Minami was at her side, resting her friend's head against her chest.

Konata let her weapons fall down and rushed towards Kagami, still inert. She unceremoniously pushed Miyuki and Tsukasa away, who were already kneeling beside her, and took the Gunner gently in her arms.

"Kagami, Kagami," she called softly. "Open your eyes, we won."

She patted her cheek, and stroked her hair tenderly without stopping the call of her name. Tsukasa was watching, her hands clenched against her mouth to hold back the oncoming sob growing in her throat. Her widened eyes were glistening with tears and Miyuki's comforting arm around her shoulders weren't any help.

Misao's eyes were jumping from Kagami to Ayano, who was now beside her.

"It's only a game anyway, isn't it? Nothing critical can happen, right?" she whispered, her arms dangling at her sides, looking helpless.

"Maybe I should start singing again?" Patty suggested softly to the Ninja. "I'm sure that _Pegasus Fantasy _would..."

Hiyori beckoned for her to shut up. Her eyes somewhat feverish, she was mechanically looking for a pen she wasn't owning in her ninja's suit.

Konata was clinging to Kagami with all her might. All the logic and the confidence she had shown during their adventure had vanished in front of the lifeless face of her friend. "It's my fault... it's my fault," She droned to herself, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"Izumi-san... ?" Miyuki tried, a bit scared to see Konata in such a state.

Behind them, the headmaster's body shone and disappeared. Contrasting with the dismal atmosphere floating in the room, happy fireworks suddenly bursted behind their head, while the word CONGRATULATIONS was written surrounded by the glimmer of colors.

The girls lifted their head with surprise. This sight made all of them smile, except for Konata, who didn't watch it at all.

The fireworks died down as brusquely as they started, and suddenly... all went black.

* * *

Next to come : **Epilogue.**


	8. Epilogue

It was long, but the last chapter is finally here ! I hope you'll enjoy it !

Let me say a huge thank you to all of you, readers, who have made it to this chapter, and for all the reviews without which I would probably have lost motivation for the tedious task of translation. And last but not least, thanks to Ascoeur for having corrected all my chapters !

* * *

**8- Epilogue**

Konata opened her eyes suddenly. It was dark. She was lying on her back, sweating and with her heart pounding wildly. After a few seconds, she realized that what she was staring at was the ceiling of her bedroom. Being a bit disoriented when one wakes up is rather usual, but this time it was particulary destabilizing. Konata frowned, not sure she if she had better things to do than lie in her bed. She was certain something important was slipping her mind.

Then abruptly, everything came back to her mind. She sat up in one go : _Kagami!_

But, beset by doubt, the girl rubbed her temples. It wasn't the first time she was having that kind of dream coming from a game she had played or an anime she had watched. But this time... she was remembering everything in detail, which was very unusual.

"Konata! Hurry up or you gonna be late !"

Sojiro's voice rised, followed by two snaps on the door.

"Yea, yea, comin'!" she shouted.

Looking for answers, Konata stared questioningly at her Playstation, but the only reply was an indifferent silence. Giving a slightly disappointed pout, the girl rushed to the bathroom, and locked herself inside.

Hit by a sudden idea, she took off the t-shirt which she slept with and studied her reflection in the mirror with a critical eye. A very suspicious scrape was streaking her left arm and two huge bruises were spreading on her abdomen and her ribs. She identified them immediatly as the result of especially painful golem's blows. The marks on her body were somewhat faded, as if they were several days old (or if they were cured by a spell ?)

Slowly, Konata grinned to her reflection. The amazing adventure they had lived was real, now she was sure of it ! But her smile stiffened immediatly. Was Kagami fine ? Her friend hadn't been healed before the end of the game. And if she was, what would she think about what happened between them, now that they were back to reality? They didn't have the time to speak about it at all. Konata gulped with difficulty while she felt anxiety clamping her jaws on her stomach. Or maybe was it just hunger.

" Konata!"

"Yeaaaa, I'll be ready... hmm... soon!"

Whatever the case, since the answers to all her questions were at school, she really had to hurry up.

Konata slipped into her uniform at top speed. Then a second time even faster, but this time, right side round. She grasped her bag in one hand, ran to the kitchen where she grabbed her lunch with the other. Then, shouting at her father a "Wish me luck!" he didn't understand, she rushed outside the house as if her life was at stake.

Konata didn't slow down once in the street, zigzagging amongst the gloomy passers-by. At the end of the street, she saw her bus disappearing between the buildings. From frustration, she threw theatrically her bag on the ground. She hadn't the time to see if her friends were inside. The girl had no other choice but to take the next bus, and from necessity, the next train too. This time, she was really late.

Unable to hold her impatience back, she was hopping on the spot, muttering loudly, turning around abruptly, and without even noticing her own behaviour. Today, many passengers regretted having shared their compartment with an hyperactive kid.

Her arrival at the school was a long run through the corridors, staircases and corridors again. Of course, the classroom's door was already closed. Out of breath, Konata opened it wide and started an explanation she hadn't even thought about making up sooner.

"I'm sorry, Sensei, I..."

"To your place, Izumi." Kuroi interrupted coldly.

While Konata was slipping to her desk, the woman was vaguely wondering why she had such a violent desire to punish her. It was not like if it was the first time the girl was late...

As soon as her teacher's attention was diverted, Konata hurried to look around for Tsukasa and Miyuki. Their eyes met eloquently and the otaku understood with relief that she wasn't alone to remember their adventure.

"Kagami ?" Konata articulated silently.

She saw Miyuki scribbling something on a scrap of paper and sending it to her by the only means possible: the students sitting between them two.

Konata unfolded the paper and read : "Have you looked at your keychain this morning?"

With confusion, the girl read the message several times. Where was the answer to her question? Did it even have a meaning? Konata rose her head, question-marks popping above her head. With an encouraging smile, Miyuki nodded several times.

Konata frowned lightly, but she fished nevertheless her bunch of keys from her schoolbag. Next to her Keroro keychain, something new was shining. It was a small-scale model of the two swords with which she had fought. Every small details was there, carved in the metal. The girl looked at it fondly. A memento, how kind!

When she looked again at her friend, she saw their knowing gaze and felt a sudden fit of tenderness for them. But it wasn't enough to make her forget about her main concern.

"Is Kagami fine?" she articulated again. Nodding, Tsukasa smiled and put her thumb up.

"Takara! Hiiragi! Do you need help, maybe? Izumi, if what you have to say is so important that it can't wait for the break, maybe you should arrive sooner, don't you think?"

Kuroi-sensei's curt warning was enough to stop any desire of communication for the rest of the morning.

* * *

A few classrooms further, Hiiragi Kagami was sitting at her usual place. She was sitting up straight, looking at the blackboard with an intensity which could have made any teacher cry for joy. But for once, Kagami wasn't listening to a single word of the lesson. There were way too many thoughts swirling in her head to let even a tiny particle of knowledge enter.

This morning, she had been brutally roused by Tsukasa who had thrown herself on her bed, sobbing and begging her to awaken. They didn't have to talk for long to understand that the incredible adventure they shared wasn't a dream at all. It was greatly evidenced by the numerous bruises on Kagami's body, especially the huge purple mark spread on her ribs, which was stabbing her painfully whenever she moved. Meeting with Miyuki just confirmed what they already knew, even if their friend was perfectly happy to believe everything was just a dream.

_Konata, you silly idiot, why weren't you here this morning?_

Kagami's fingers clenched on the edges of her desk. Even if Tsukasa and Miyuki had repeated dozen of time that she was the only one who had been seriously wounded at the end of the fight, she couldn't help but being worried. Quite apart from the fact that hearing her friend babbling endlessly about their adventure would have paradoxically reassure herself about her own mental health.

Konata... Kagami's gaze flickered while her heart's beatings rose. Unconsciously, she brought the tips of her fingers to her lips. On second thought... maybe it was better not to have seen her this morning. It gave her the time to collect her thoughts. And it was needed. And who knows which kind of extravagance the little otaku would have done at her sight? Kagami blushed lightly, she was sure she wouldn't have liked it.

She had to talk with Konata, she had to tell her... tell her what? For the first time in her life, Kagami wasn't sure of what to do.

It was so new and so disconcerting. The exams were very close, she didn't need any distraction. And what would people say? Her parents, her friends ? The girl shook her head, frowning.

How could her feelings change without her noticing? Was it normal that she started finding it natural to think about Konata _in that__ way_? The girl was close to banging her head on her desk.

When lunchtime rang, despite of the lack of resolute conclusions on her thoughts, Kagami grabbed her bag and burst out of the classroom.

"Hiiragi, wait!"

Stopped in mid-flight, Kagami turned around. The dangerous glint in her eyes made Misao step back.

"What, Kusakabe?" she snapped.

"Ahem.. well, I was thinking... you know, regarding yesterday... maybe we could...," Misao stuttered, nervously. "Ayano, help me..."

"Misa-chan wanted to propose to do something after classes, with everyone. Everyone... from yesterday, well, you know what I mean ..."

"Something?" Kagami asked, raising a brow, not sure to like what would follow.

Misao rubbed her nape with embarrassment.

"I don't really know what, but we could have a sleepover, or go to the karaoke. I thought it would be nice to go together... just us, don't you think ?"

"Ah... yes, of course, very good idea," Kagami answered with a forced smile while all the plans she had built up during the last hours were collapsing like a house of cards.

"That's why we're coming with you to your sister's room. Does it bother you?" Ayano said, smiling.

Kagami shook her head weakly. How could she turn them down?

* * *

In spite of her serene look, Konata was frequently glancing at the door of the classroom, barely partaking in Miyuki and Tsukasa's converstion. She was watching.

At last, Kagami appeared on the threshold. Their gaze locked, passing on the relief to see each other again. Konata dropped her chopsticks and stood, without taking her eyes off her. Kagami's expression changed immediatly, freezing her on the spot. At the purple haired girl's side, Misao and Ayano appeared.

Konata sat down, as if nothing had happened and waved a lazy hand.

"Hey Kagami, you're bringing us guests?"

After greeting them, Misao explained her idea. At Kagami's annoyance, Konata supported it enthusiastically, suggesting a lot of activities, most of them gravitating around the Game Center.

All together, they decided to ask straight away the first year's about the project.

Nearing their friends's classroom, Konata suddenly flattened herself against the wall and signaled the other to do the same. She glanced quickly inside the room and whispered:

"Targets in sight. They are four and we are six, we have the advantage of numbers!"

"Konata..." Kagami started, burrying her face in her hand.

The otaku ignored her and said, "I'm taking care of Yuu-chan, Misao and Ayano, you'll overpower Minami. It's a hard task, be careful. Kagami and Tsukasa, deal with Patty. Take care, she'll surely struggle. And … Miyuki-san's gonna bring back Hiyorin, it shouldn't be too difficult. If needed, just take her sketchbook, she won't have any other choice but to follow you."

"Izumi-san, are we really obliged..."

"Shhh, soldier, it's too late to fall back! If I don't come back, tell my father I loved him anyway. On my command, go!"

After this words, a scene incredibly violent took place, during which the first years were dragged away from their lunch, and extracted from the classroom.

The girls landed in a quiet spot of the playground. The first years were immediatly delighted by Misao's idea. But things were getting complicated when it came to agree about what to do. Konata and Misao were starting to call themselves all the names under the sun when Hiyori finally proposed a simple picnic in the park after school, midway between an afternoon snack and dinner.

Everyone seemed to like the idea and they all took their cell phone to clack a message to their parents. They decided to buy everything they would need around the park.

"Ayano, Hiiragi and I gonna deal with the food!" Misao claimed peremptorily.

Not really liking this tone, Kagami opened the mouth to retort but was interrupted immediatly.

"Of course, we can bring Hiiragi's sister along!" Misao added.

"Listen, listen!" Patty suddenly shouted, very excited. "We should look for fun games, to liven up things up!"

And before anyone could agree with her idea, she rose her hand, shouting.

"I want to do it! Hiyorin, Konata, can you help me?"

Of course, the question was only rhetorical, she couldn't imagine a refusal.

Kagami didn't like that at all, how would she find a moment to talk to Konata privately amongst all these nonsenses?

Irritated, she looked at Konata's childish features, as if to find an answer to her questionings. Maybe she felt it, but Konata lifted her head up. Her green eyes unusually worried brightened when their gaze met, but Kagami averted hers. She was fearing what Konata could read in it. The otaku bit her lips, feeling her heart sink painfully. What she was dreading was happening.

"I'm... I'm sure I could make myself useful," Miyuki spoke, feeling a bit forgotten.

An embarrassed silence fell down. Minami broke it, on behalf of the neglected.

"Miyuki-san, Yutaka and me could take care of the drinks."

" If you agree, of course," she added, turning toward her pink haired friend.

"Sure, I just hope the bottles won't be too heavy to carry," Yutaka said with a preoccupied pout.

"Don't worry, I will carry them for you, I... I could even carry you if you're too tired," Minami answered, stretching shy fingers towards her friends blushing cheeks.

"Oh, Minami-chan..."

Hiyori blinked several times. She just realized with horror that she was unable to tell when the real conversation had made way to her own fantasy.

It was at this very moment than the bell rang, meaning the end of the lunch break.

"We didn't have time to eat!" Misao shouted with despair.

"Really? And whose fault is that?" Kagami grumbled sullenly.

The girls parted and ran to their classroom. For everyone, the afternoon wasn't very productive. All of them were thinking about the best way to accomplish their mission. Except one of them, who was trying to figure how she could discretly take a certain someone apart from the group.

Kagami came to the conclusion that the best way was to intercept the said someone, before she joined the group. So, she decided to make a desperate attempt. When the bell rang, freeing them at last, she took advantage of the commotion made by all the students standing in the same time, to rush out of the classroom.

The girl clasped her bag against her chest and started to run in the corridor, zigzagging amongst the other students, less in a hurry than her. A few meters before the class 3-B, her race was stopped by a herd of chuckling girls.

"Sorry ! Excuse ! Move over !" Kagami stressed impatiently, making her way through the girls. "Hey, Kona..."

She had just the time to see a mass of blue hair dragged away by the vigorous grip of Patricia Martin. Blasted blonde, how was she so fast?

"Hiiragi, wait for us!"

Kagami turned around to see her two classmates arriving out of breath.

"I didn't know you were so keen on it !" Misao claimed, delighted. "But don't leave without us, anyway !"

"Ah... sorry, I thought you were already far ahead." Kagami mumbled, not really convincing.

"Hey there, Onee-chan ! You're already there?" Tsukasa's joyous voice interrupted.

When Kagami turned toward her, the expression on her face made her sister step back.

"Onee-chan, you've been having really scary reactions recently..." she voiced trembling.

"Let's go, or the others will wait for us. We have the hardest task after all," Ayano interrupted, a bit ill at ease.

* * *

A good hour later, the girls gathered together at the park, loaded down with well-filled plastic bags. Adorned with all the colours of autumn, the park was beautiful and Hiyori was warmly congratulated for her good idea.

The girls found a nice place to settle down. Tsukasa started to take the food they had bought out and arranged it artistically inside the circle the girls were forming. The eyes of her hungry friends suddenly shone greedily. They barely took the time to shout a hasty "Enjoy you meal!" before digging in voraciously.

"We've found an Uno game," Patty said, her mouth full, taking colored card out of her bag. "Or else, I've thought about a fun game we could play, it's called Truth or Da..."

"NO!"

The scream was almost unanimous.

"Ah..." Patty understood with an embarassed laugh. "It seems you know it already..."

Patricia didn't insist anymore with games she wanted to play. After all, for now it wasn't really needed to find way to liven things up. Her friends were all chatting happily. And of course, only one subject was standing out, the wonderful adventure they shared.

With the help of a great many gestures, Misao was explaining how she defeated with her bare hands the zombie who was Kuroi-sensei. Yutaka and Tsukasa were comparing their keychains with satisfied gigglings. Some said how relieved they were, seeing Kagami this morning. The way the headmaster had disabled her had shocked them a lot.

"By the way, Minami," Konata realized suddenly. "You were out of mana too at the end of the fight. You weren't able to cure Kagami?"

The girl's reaction was surprising. She blushed heavily, glanced quickly at Yutaka before lowering her head, stuttering :

"Well...in fact... I... I had just enough magic for one spell and... when I was able to stand up, I've seen... Yutaka fainting and I used my last cure on her... I'm really sorry, Kagami-sempai..."

Konata answered only with a simple "aha" while Kagami was assuring it didn't matter. As for Yutaka, she was astounded by this revelation. She leaned toward Minami and put a light hand on her leg.

"Oh, Minami-chan, I hadn't realized you had healed me, thank you very much," she said, her cheeks turning pink.

Hiyori had already leaped on her sketchbook.

Everyone was expecting a striking answer from Konata. Either a passionate speech about how a Paladin should have behave, or an ambiguous comment which would have made Minami break a new blushing record. But strangely, nothing of the like.

"_She's not her usual self, she will never bear with the return to normal life,_" Misao thought knowledgeably.

Miyuki too had observed how her friend seemed to be dispirited. Then she saw than Kagami was reflecting the same gloomy mood. The girl had first thought that it was the post-effect of the end of the adventure, but her concern for her friends made her notice the movement of the glazes between them. One of them inquisitive and insistent, the other elusive and embarassed. Could it be that … ? Miyuki muffled an "oh!" and her cheeks suddenly went crimson.

Their hunger satisfied, the girls had made a break in their rush on the food. Patty took advantage of it and pull a ball out of her bag.

"Wanna play?" she asked. "I know tons of games!"

Miyuki sighed lightly. She didn't really wanted to run after a ball, specially with her stomach full. But she quickly realized that all the girls had stood up to follow Patricia. She was alone in the circle, with Kagami on her right and Konata on her left. Her eyes went wide and she leaped up to join the others, tripping more than once in her hurry.

_Now's the time !_ Kagami thought, gathering her courage. She took a deep breath and looked at her friend.

"Konata, there's something we must..."

"Onee-chan ! Kona-chan ! Come on, it's not fun if we're not all together!"

Like a purple typhoon, totally impervious to the atmosphere around her, Tsukasa hurtled into the circle and grabbed the two girls' hand to drag them with the others. Fortunately, due to her innocence, she never saw the deadly glare of her sister and the promises of torment contained inside.

Konata gave a slight grimace. She didn't know if she should thank Tsukasa for having allowed her to hope a bit longer, or curse her for having prevented her to finally know about her fate.

The latecomers were welcomed with cries of joy and the ball took flight. They tried a lot of games, most of them proposed by Patty. As the girls became more heated, the ball was thrown faster and faster amongst the cries and laughs.

Until it got out of hand.

"Hiiragi, try to catch that !"

Thrown hard, fast and... very badly, the ball hit Kagami in the ribs. The girl let out a cry and fell on her knees.

"Kagami!"

"Onee-chan, are you okay?"

"I'm sorry, Hiiragi!"

"I... it's nothing !" Kagami said, getting up quickly, a hand clasped on her flank. "It's just the spot where I was hit by the spear, I'm gonna sit for five minutes, it will wear off. Don't worry."

Not unhappy to rest a bit, Kagami settled down further, wincing as she was sat down. A few minutes later, someone joined her. She had the surprise to see that it was Minami.

"I'm... I'm really sorry. I didn't know your wound still hurt," she whispered, embarassed.

"It's nothing Minami," Kagami reassured her, amazed. "It's just a big bruise now. It will wear off quickly."

"It's my fault," Minami said, lowering her head. "I should have kept the headmaster on me. It was my task. I should have done what Konata-senpai did. Much sooner"

"You're taking too much things to heart, it was just a game and... wait... Konata... what did she do ?"

Kagami's trouble was now obvious and Minami was afraid to have wander on a slippery ground.

"When you got hurt, she became mad with rage. She started to yell, standing between you and the headmaster. She has blocked the spear which should have hit you. And then she started to … beat him up badly. It was really... awesome," Minami finished sheepishly.

Rather than "awesome," she was thinking "knightly," or "romantic" but didn't dare use them. Kagami patted her shoulders awkwardly.

"Thank you, Minami, I didn't know what happened when I was unconscious, and don't worry, you did your job well, and everybody agrees with that."

Minami accepted the compliment with a nod and stood up to go back with the others. When she was gone, Kagami burried her face in her arms. The wild beatings of her heart were resounding against her temples. Konata fighting to protect her... Konata parrying the headmaster's attack... Imagining the scene filled her eyes with tears, but even so... the gentle warmth which was spreading in her chest was far from being unpleasant.

"Kagamin?"

Her face ablaze, the girl jolted and, raising her head, found herself face to face with big green eyes full of concern.

"You didn't tell me that you were still suffering from your wound," Konata said, slightly reproachful.

_Ok, it's now or never!_

"Konata, listen..."

"Ah, I'm exhausted!"

"We must have looked ridiculous, playing all those kiddy games!"

"But it was fun!"

"I'm dying of thirst now!"

"And I'm hungry!"

Like a flight of chirping sparrows, the girls chose this very moment to swoop down on the food's leftovers.

"Aaah!" Kagami let out, furious at having been interrupted once again.

"Onee-chan? Are you alright? Have you hurt yourself again?"

"Nothing, just a wrong move..." the girl answered exasperated, averting her eyes.

The girls were now all together reunited in circle. The tireless Patty managed to make them play with her new card game. This one proved to be very fun, and made them all laugh, especially when Tsukasa ended with more cards than her hands could contain and let out a squeak each time she was dropping one.

"We should come closer to the pond, before the night falls," Hiyori said suddenly. "You'll see, it's really pretty."

Pleased to stretch after having sat down in such an uncomfortable way, the girls welcomed joyfully the idea, and gathered their belongings scattered everywhere.

The first years led the way, guided by Hiyori. Ayano and Misao were next, followed by Tsukasa and Miyuki.

Both of them were talking very seriously about the fact there weren't any archer in their party, even if it was usually a very classical job in games.

"But Onee-chan was the one shooting from afar, and it was enough, don't you think Onee...?"

Tsukasa turned around to call upon her sister as witness, but there was nobody behind them. Where were Konata and Kagami? Weren't they there just a minute ago? Miyuki sighed with a resigned smile.

"I have a feeling that this situation has become recurring these few days... Tsukasa-san, I fear we will have to get used to it."

Tsukasa stared at her friend, with her mouth opened and round eyes. She was basking in utter confusion.

* * *

Further, arriving behind a thick coppice, Kagami stopped running and let go of Konata's wrist. She had a quick glance behind, their friends were out of sight. This time, nothing could prevent her to talk to Konata person-to-person.

"What's the matter Kagamin?" the blue-haired girl asked.

Bravely, she was facing her friend, waiting for the sentence. The girl was desperatly looking for the joke which could help save her from facing Kagami, the one that would avoid gaining her hatred. But her brain was refusing to work properly, as if paralyzed.

Disconcerted by Konata's unusual serious face, Kagami lowered her eyes.

"Konata, you'll have to excuse me, I... I didn't realize it," she started bluntly, words were rushing on her lips with incoherence. "I've always thought... no, I mean.. I'm sorry, I should have..."

Irritated by her clumsiness, Kagami kicked the ground and frowned. Come on! She lifted her head up to stare at Konata. The girl hadn't move of an inch, but her fists had clenched on her skirt. She forced herself to smile.

"It doesn't matter Kagamin, I understand..." she started.

But the simple act of speaking shattered the little control she had on herself. She was interrupted by a sob. She would never be able to stand and hear what her friend the rest of what her friend had to say.

Horrified, Kagami saw Konata fighting against the tears filling her eyes.

"Konata, I'm sorry! That's not what I meant!" she cried hastily.

She gripped her small friend by the shoulders and brought her closer.

"I behaved like a perfect idiot today. I was embarassed, I didn't know what to do. I was over-thinking it..."

Kagami's hands alighted on Konata's cheeks, whose eyes widened in disbelief.

"… when I just ..."

She turned gently her friend's face toward hers.

" ...should have..."

Whith her thumb, she wiped a lone tear on the otaku's cheek.

"… let myself go..."

Her last words were merely a breath whose stroke made Konata suffered agonies before Kagami's mouth finally covered hers.

Clutching to each other as if someone wanted to pull them apart, they kissed with passion.

Wrapping possessively her arms around Kagami's waist, Konata rested her head on her chest and asked :

"So Kagamin, are you still thinking I've wasted a wish?"

The girl could only smile, shaking gently her head.

"You always have to have the last word, don't you?"

Konata only smiled broadly. Swirling around her friend around, she took her hand and dragged her along.

"Come on ! We must tell the others !"

"Tell the others ? Have you lost your mind ?

"Oooh, a secret love ! It's even more romantic !'

"Don't speak so loudly !"

"You want to keep it a secret because you're ashamed of me, huh ?"

"I've _been _ashamed since I met you, this won't change anything!"

"Kagami, you're so mean ! Kiss me !"

"Is there a logical link between those two sentences ?"

"Let me remind you that you yourself said you were over-thinking stuff."

...

...

...

..

**~FIN~**


End file.
